Losing Control
by Rikuriroxa
Summary: With Voldemort on the loose, Emily and Harry aren't free to embrace a future together. The Dark Lord will stop at nothing to kill Harry and restore her soul to its rightful host. Emily plots to keep Harry safe, and Harry plots to finally take control of his life. Final in Power is Control series. Thanks guys! Fem!Voldemort
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Be... Our... Guest... Enjoy.

Chapter 1

"How hard is it to find ONE PERSON!"

Emily's scream could be heard through the entire wing of the manor. She was infuriated by Lucius' inability to locate her other self.

"Not to sound too cheeky, my lord, but may I remind you that the entire Potter family eluded you for the better part of two years. In our world, its quite easy to stay unnoticed. You whisked away young Mr. Potter for a year, and he is about as well known as it gets."

Emily grit her teeth tightly. Lucius knew his place on the board too well now. He was too important to her for her to abuse as she used to. With the complete dissolution of the Death Eaters, she had too few people she could rely upon. She kept the Malfoys in the know because their uses were invaluable. This did not mean she appreciated him being a twat. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

"Well then, if we can't track her down, we'll just have to protect my assets all the more."

"Harry won't be happy to hear you referring to him like that."

Emily sneered at the blond man. "I'll be the judge of my husband's likes and dislikes thank you very much. Either way, he won't be hearing the comment, will he?"

She gave the man an even shrewder look at this, and he bowed his head ever so slightly to her. "Excellent then. Now, seeing as you have not only failed the only task I have set for you, but also royally pissed me off, I am going home. Harry's to take his NEWTs at the ministry this morning, and I want to be there to support him."

She watched as the man made to open his mouth, but cut him off. "No Lucius, neither you nor any of your family members are invited. You've already stirred up more than enough attention about yourself lately. There's only so much you can gain by trailing the heels of others, before you're noticed for being a parasite."

Lucius didn't bother replying, simply nodding his head and leaving the room, probably off to plot other ways to annoy her and inflate his own family's ego. Twat.

It had been two months since Lord Voldemort had gone underground with her most loyal follower. Emily was not pleased by any of it. Not Bellatrix's defection, nor her horcrux's clever planning and persuasiveness. Things were completely out of her control now. The new Voldemort, by now, would have complete control over her new body and would be just as capable as Emily. The only thing Voldemort lacked was raw power. But there were ways to compensate for that, and Emily dreaded the routes her errant self would take.

In the end, she knew Voldemort's aim wouldn't change. Kill Harry Potter, remove the soul bond and merge back with herself. Voldemort saw her relationship with Harry as a cancer that could be cut away. But the truth of the matter was far more complex. Emily knew that while she was an incredible person, she wasn't the most stable. If Voldemort were to succeed in her endeavor, Emily was aware that her going off the deep end was more than likely. If Voldemort's second endeavor, to merge with her succeeded as well, then she was uncertain what would happen after that. Would her broken self remain in control of her body? Or would her fractured mind yield to the horcrux's control? It was possible that she would cease to exist, or at least her own self would be pushed deep underneath her consciousness.

Shaking her head to dispel the dark thoughts, she made her way to one of the manor's many fireplaces. She had more important things to think about today, like her husband's future.

* * *

Harry woke up when he felt Emily gently climb on top of his body. His eyes briefly opened, before closing quickly in the face of the early morning light.

"What time is it?"

"Almost seven, love. Rise and shine."

Harry let his mouth droop open slightly in mock shock. "This, Emily, is not a civil hour. Why on earth do you want me awake right now?"

"Your NEWTs are today, rememeber?"

Harry groaned slightly, before speaking. "Whoever decided that the ministry issued tests should be taken at this hour... I mean, find that person. That's someone I don't care if you off in the future."

Emily laughed in his ear. "I'll keep that in mind, however, you must still get up. Breakfast is ready downstairs."

Emily let him be, he roused himself better from sleep without her being there. Unless sex was involved. Then he did much better with her present. Making her way to their home's office, she opened the door and began rifling through the papers on her desk. This was her space, and one of the few places Harry did not enter out of respect for her privacy. Rather strange that he allowed her that, considering that he tried quite often to shove his nose as deep into her affairs as he could. She assumed that as long as she remained in their home, Harry new the amount of damage she could do was limited.

Most of Emily's recent time had been taken up in stopping the pureblood supremacy movement from starting back up. With having wiped their memories of her original return, the last thing she desired was this new Voldemort attracting her previous followers to her. Countless lists with members, sympathizers and methods of dissuading them from the cause littered the room. Of course, once she held the power she desired, she would give the purebloods many of the things they desired as she marginalized the muggleborn society, but such things were still years off.

Stretching her body, she sat in her chair and leaned back. Her days with Harry had been terribly unproductive. She wasn't able to really accomplish much of her planning with him. Part of the reasoning behind this, was simply because, as always, she didn't like him knowing what she was up to. However the far more prevalent part was the fact that was she couldn't leave him alone. The safest place he could be was right beside her. Of course, she had trained him quite well over the past year, but to go one on one versus Voldemort, or even Bellatrix, was a situation she was not ready to place him in. For while she felt confident in her own ability to handle that scenario, she was honestly not even certain she could take them on at the same time. Both of these women would go after Harry with an intensity that she had never shown him during their training. They wanted him dead. He had only very recently come to grips with such violence, and almost didn't survive.

Voldemort would most likely not attempt to gather followers. To do so would create a schism in her supporters if the Dark Lord prevailed. But Emily knew that if she backed the Dark Lord into a corner, Voldemort was capable of breaking the rules. She had already watched as her other self outmaneuvered her. That mistake had almost cost her the only thing she really cherished. So Emily was attempting to be proactive.

Be proactive. Make plans. What a joke, if she were to be truthful. Her plans had never succeeded. They were brilliant, of course, but they always failed. Cleanse Hogwarts of the impure as a teenager, failure. Take control of the magical world, failure. Become a feared and powerful Dark Lord, abandoned. Kill Harry Potter as a baby, failure. Steal the Philosopher's Stone, failure. Regain her body to kill Harry Potter, abandoned. Seduce Harry Potter in disguise, pathetic failure. Kill a Dark Lord she created, missed by a hair.

Of course, she supposed, the most important plans, at least to her, had been successful. Seduce and romance Harry Potter, resounding success. Retrieve the Prophecy, success. Steal back Harry Potter when he was taken from her, success. TWO TIMES! Turn Harry into a powerful wizard, in her opinion, success. Personally off Dumbledore, well, he wasn't alive, and it was her curse that did him in, so it was good enough. Marry the man she loved, success. In the end, Emily prevailed where she needed to, and that was why she still kept planning. Her odds seemed to be about fifty fifty, so she'd probably kill Voldemort properly this time around.

Bellatrix's fate was far less certain to her. She had agreed to spare the woman, but sparing someone was a promise she'd made before. And then broke. That decision had come back to bite her in the future. She was wary of doing something similar now, considering her group was rather small.

As she heard Harry amble his way downstairs, her mind turned to other things. The escape of Voldemort had its benefits as well as its faults. For one, the magical world was besieged by a mounting fear. The name Voldemort was not so old to have lost its touch. People were looking for a savior, a hero. Harry Potter was naturally deemed fit to fill the role of the late Albus Dumbledore. It was just as fortunate that he had recently married a powerful witch who stood against the Dark Lord months ago. It was only half a year ago, that he was called the Chosen One. Now that Voldemort had made her first public appearance since her brief break-in at the ministry, the panic was established. The world would look to her and Harry. Once she dealt with the Dark Lord, taking over would be child's play.

Leaving her office, she began gathering anything she deemed important to leave the house with. She had made certain that the news of Harry taking his exams at the ministry had been leaked. While scores at Hogwarts were privately delivered to the students and their families, tests taken in the ministry were available as public record. This was to discourage the practice of home schooling children in the magical arts. The main hall would be flooded with reporters and Harry would surely be on tomorrow's front page.

"Are you ready, love?" Emily called out to Harry as she waited near the fireplace.

"Not really, but that's never stopped me before, so lets get it over with." Harry made his way into the room a few moments after he spoke and Emily rolled her eyes.

"Can you at least try and tidy yourself up a bit better? Your robes aren't even properly adjusted." Not even bothering for him to make the attempt, she whipped out her wand, straightening his robes and removing the wrinkles.

"Oh, lay off, its just a few examiners, not like its a big deal how I look."

Emily laughed. "No, its going to be much more. You and I are sharing center stage in the public's view of a disaster. Expect someone to snap your picture and ask you questions the moment you leave home."

Harry stopped fidgeting and fixed her with a look. "Emily, no one knows where we live, so no one's gonna be taking my picture. No one knows I'm taking the exam today, I haven't even filled out the paperwork. No one's gonna be there. Unless you or Lucius already arranged it."

Emily smirked. "Guilty as charged. You're getting more and more clever by the day. I can see why that hat wanted you in Slytherin. I'd have been far more pleased by that outcome anyway."

"Of course you would have. You're the descendant of Salazar Slytherin. If I had been in his house, you would have felt like you owned me even more."

"Don't be nonsensical Harry." Emily said with a huff. "I can't own you anymore than I already do. We're married."

Harry's mouth dropped slightly. "You know, some days I want to know just how exactly you see the world around you. Then I realize I'm better off being ignorant."

"We all start out ignorant, we have to work hard to remain stupid, however."

Harry stared at her in shock. "I know that quote. Its from Benjamin Franklin. Why on earth are you quoting a muggle?"

Emily began to cackle at him. "Sometimes I wonder what they teach you in History. Benjamin Franklin was a wizard, Harry. Do you actually think a muggle could fool around with lightning bolts and not die? You're so disillusioned by your muggle upbringing, I swear."

Harry grumbled. "Yeah, shame my magical parents couldn't raise me."

Emily immediately stopped laughing. Quietly, she spoke, "I'm sorry, that was callous of me. I will refrain from mentioning your childhood in the future." Once upon a time, she'd let the comment start an argument, but she had learned from those mistakes. It didn't help that she had recently torn his family even more asunder with the murder of his aunt. Easier to admit her own fault in a scenario than to instigate a fight.

Harry sighed, "Don't worry about it. I shouldn't have brought my parents up. I know you weren't being hurtful, I just... reacted. Sorry."

The two remained quiet, Emily not certain how to fix the mood. Harry, never one to allow Emily's demeanor to remain sour, asked, "Any other famous muggles who are actually witches or wizards I should know about?"

Emily gave him a quick smile, "Hm, all things considered, not really. The Statute of Secrecy has kept us pretty separated since the late seventeenth century. But before that, we mingled pretty well. Of course, you already know that, I'm sure. William was renowned through out all of Britain, magical and nonmagical. His plays were so powerful and moving that even the muggles could appreciate them."

"Plays? Do you mean William Shakespeare? The one who wrote Romeo and Juliet? He was a wizard?"

"That's what I said, yes. Surely you read that in the book I gave you to study for History?"

Harry looked sheepish, "I skimmed some bits of it."

Emily sighed, but nodded. "I suppose if you were as studious as Ms. Granger, I wouldn't have had to impart as much knowledge to you. It matters little, William Shakespeare, recepient of the Order of Merlin, First Class, was in fact, a wizard. One of the few recepients of the First Class award not for his acts of bravery, but his intellectual feats. A fine wizard indeed."

"You seem a bit too likable of him. I doubt I've ever heard you say the term 'fine wizard' since I've known you."

Emily laughed. "I am somewhat predisposed to Shakespeare. Before I knew what I was, what magic truly was, I read his works as a child. I found his plays fanciful and entertaining even, if at times, a bit dark. Once I made my way to Hogwarts and found out he was a wizard, I suppose it only raised the amount of respect I held for him."

Harry smiled wryly. "Well, as long as I don't have to worry about you harboring some secret crush on him or anything, I guess that's fine."

"The man's been dead for almost four hundred years, Harry. Don't tell me I seem that mentally unstable?" The question was rhetorical, but Harry couldn't stop himself from replying.

"This is you we are talking about. Loving the dead is something you're already guilty of, remember. I was dead in Egypt, but you brought me back. I wouldn't put it past you."

Emily kept her smile plastered on her face, though inside she was pondering what he said. This was their only point of conflict that was unsolvable. The ever present reality that she would commit unspeakable acts, if it meant keeping him with her. She had slaughtered almost a hundred people to keep him alive, if only at the brink. It was this knowledge that gave him the push he needed to commit the ultimate taboo, to mutilate his own soul and create a horcrux. To ensure he could come back to her if his life was in peril again, and he had forced Emily to agree to never commit such a massacre again. Of course, he hadn't created one in the traditional way, but he had successfully created one regardless. Emily doubted the traditional way would have worked. Harry could never truly enjoy killing, the most he could ever feel from it would be a sort of justifiable satisfaction.

Emily picked up her now cold coffee. It had been prepared with breakfast, but she had ignored it all morning. Even with the promise he had extracted from her, she would do anything to keep him with her. And deep down he knew the same. Her words would be empty platitudes if his existence were on the line.

"Oy."

Emily regain alertness to the present when Harry call for her attention with a worried look.

"Are you alright, Emily?"

"Of course, nervous, I suppose."

Harry scoffed at her. "Its fine if you don't want to tell me what's on your mind, but don't lie to me. You're about as confident in my ability to take these tests as your are confident in your own wand work."

Emily smiled at him. she had been caught. "Indeed I am. I'm being distracted by... thoughts."

Harry smiled. "Well, they tend to be the most distracting things in our heads. Hermione gets so lost in books that Ron and I have to pull her away from them to get her attention."

Emily sighed. "More like worries then. Still thoughts, I know, but that should help narrow it down for you."

"Voldemort?"

"Among others."

Harry, leaning back in his chair at the table, said "The more you let her run through your head, the less time you're really spending with me. Doesn't that just irk you to no end and make you wanna just forget about her." By the end he was bent forward with a smirk on his face.

"I'd rather strangle the life out of her and then spend time with you."

"Of course you would. I can see the headlines now, 'Potter's Wife Defeats Dark Lord, Strangulation'. Gonna garner yourself a lot of attention with that one."

Emily drained her cup quickly with a slight grimace, before motioning for him to follow her. "I am certain they will refer to me by name, not as your wife."

"Yeah, because we both know that the article will be written by Lucius."

"Ugh, don't bring that useless bastard's name up this morning. He's already disappointed me once today. I don't want to remember."

"Emily, its... half past seven. When did the man have time to piss you off?"

"I met with him at around, three in the morning. He had bad news for me."

"Three in the morning? Don't you mean at night? No one would consider that to be morning."

"Whatever." She said dismissively. "Are you ready? The exams start at eight, and we'll have a wall of people to push through."

Harry and Emily had arrived at the fireplace. Harry looked to her and asked, "Wait a moment, what do you mean a wall of people? Just how many reporters are gonna be there?"

"About half as many as their were at our wedding."

Harry gaped at her. "You had three separate tents for the press at our wedding, there must've been over a hundred reporters!"

"A hundred and twenty-six, to be precise. I managed to catch the attention of sixty or so for our outing this morning." And with a gentle shove, Harry was whisked off with a flash of green fire.

* * *

A terrible wheezing could be heard throughout the entire house. But it wasn't the muggle family sitting dazed in the home's smallest bedroom, staring at the wall. The sound came from the largest bedroom, where inside were two occupants.

"Relax, Bella. Drink this."

The spitting image of Emily Potter was seated on the edge of the large bed, gently pouring a potion down the throat of Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix's body was in exceedingly good condition, compared to what it had been months ago, but her lungs still troubled her greatly. Emily's doppleganger, Voldemort, could only assume that the creature that had destroyed Bella's chest had been cursed. Though she had no idea when her real self had been able to perform the magic. The woman wasn't getting enough oxygen into her body to function, and had to remain in bed. Through Voldemort had tried many avenues, she had yet to successfully restore them. Several times she had debated cutting her losses and leaving the woman to die, but she needed her and her resources.

Gently wiping the sweating brow of the older woman, Voldemort marveled at the smooth skin of her own hand. She was quite surprised that once she had regained full control of this body, her face and body were in the exact form of her current self. It was a blessing and a curse. It was a welcome development, as she no longer held the same face of Lord Voldemort. It was a curse for the very same reason. Being recognized on the street as Emily Potter would bring her all sorts of head aches. She would have to remain hidden away and only scurry about under disguise.

While she had the muggle family pile into the smallest room, and more or less stay out of their lives and continue on day to day activities, she did occasionally send them out and about to gather things for her. The son had already passed away when she took him and the eldest daughter to the outskirts of the Forbidden Forest to collect acromantula silk. It was the main ingredient in the binding the kept Bella's wound closed as her organs slowly mended. Oh well, at least poor Aragog's children had a snack.

The imperius curse was truly marvelous. It provided everything she needed. Voldemort looked down to see Bellatrix's eye's become unfocused as sleep over took her. There was one, annoying, side effect of this body, despite its perks. For the first time in a long time, she felt arousal. It had shocked her, when it had first happened. Of course, Bella was in no condition to indulge her desires, and she was more than strong enough to force down her libido. But she was starting to crave the physical relationship she had started with Bella when she begun manipulating the older woman.

"Once we get you back on your feet, Bella, we are going to make everything right again. We'll remove Harry Potter and then there will be nothing keeping you from my real self. I'll rejoin my body and things will resume the course they were intended to." Her whispered words snaked their way into Bella's subconscious and the woman rested with a smile.

* * *

"What do you mean she's the Dark Lord? She's Voldemort?"

"I didn't stutter. The wife of Harry Potter, is most assuredly the Dark Lord."

Sirius Black fell back into his chair as the hooded figure stood before him. "Emily saved my godson from the Dark Lord. There were countless witnesses. I'm going to need more than just your words to believe this. It's impossible."

"I have more than enough proof to convince you."

Sirius closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he voiced the most important question. "Does Harry know?"

"He has known from the beginning, before anyone else was aware."

Sirius let out the rest of his breathe in a huff, placing a hand over his eyes as he hunched forwards. "What was he thinking? Why... just, why?"

The hooded figure turned towards the fireplace, grabbing a pinch of floo powder. "Buck up, Black, we have important things to do."

"Fine. Get on with showing me your proof, Snivellus."

A/N: Happy to be back at it. Hope yall are ready.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Coronavirus, eww. NGL, I am annoyed with how its fucking up America and my life. Not to say it doesn't suck for other countries, but I am naturally more displeased with my own inconveniences. Stay safe everyone. Gonna be a rough year, maybe more. I work in online retail and my distribution center is digging in its heels to not shut down. Even though its got over 100 employees. No cases yet, but if we get one, the whole building's going offline. Best of luck to everyone, and enjoy the read.

Chapter 2

Harry's stumbling exit from the floo was blocked by Emily's quick hands. She had him steadied the moment the flames flared his arrival.

"Could you be any more uncoordinated?"

Harry grimaced. "I don't know what it is about magical transportation, but if it isn't a broom, I've got zero grace with it."

Emily loosened her hold on him, sliding an arm behind his lower back and guided him from the floo. Harry was greeted by the small crowd of reporters that he had somehow missed when he first arrived, but he chalked it up to Emily's proximity. When she was close enough, Harry found himself oblivious to other things. Her ruby eyes, which once sparked fear in him, could drown out everything else that was present in any moment. It was an intoxication he rarely acknowledge his addiction to, but it existed all the same.

With her arm around him, she pressed him through the throng of people, giving very brief answers to only a select few questions. Harry, stayed quiet.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Potter! Are you nervous about your exams?"

"Of course he isn't."

"Mr. Potter, what subject will you perform best on?"

"My husband will achieve an Outstanding in all subjects he takes, of course."

"Mrs. Potter, what were you exam scores?"

"Exemplary."

"Mrs. Potter, have the two of you been away on your honeymoon for the past month?"

"Yes, we only recently returned."

Eventually they made it the short distance to the lifts. Once she declared their destination and the doors closed, she let her arm fall from around Harry's waist.

"Ravenous flock of vultures."

Harry scoffed. "If you don't want birds, then don't scatter seed."

Emily leveled him a look. "Vulture's are scavengers, Harry. They don't eat bread, they eat dead animals."

Harry stared at her for a moment, then spoke. "I was speaking meta- you know what, never mind. You're right."

"I always am."

"Have I ever told you how much modesty turns me on?"

Emily snorted. "Considering how easy it is for me to arouse you, I'd say the opposite is true."

Harry couldn't stop the bark of laughter slipping out of his mouth. He looked at the familiar lift. "Brings back some memories, being in this thing again."

"Its only been a bit more than a year, no surprise. My memories are a bit more vivid, I would wager. I actually stayed conscious for more than five seconds after we left the lift the last time."

"I did what I could."

Emily remembered the moment when his shield charm had kept her safe long enough to disable one of their attackers. He had succumbed to Albus Dumbledore moments later, but it was his fast reaction that kept her upright and allowed her to retrieve him later.

"You did what you needed to. You protected me, as I will always protect you."

They stayed silent, both of them reminiscing various moments of that night. Eventually Harry awkwardly coughed before asking, "Do you think they know what we did, you know, in the Love room?"

Emily smirked. "Why? Did you want to see if we could get away with it a second time?"

"Think we can?"

"Are you asking me if I think I can screw you in a top security department in the most well policed building our government possesses and not be found out? The real question is how many times I can do it before we almost get caught."

Harry smiled. "Well then, how many?"

"Depends on my luck. If the first person I kill leaves a ghost, we're screwed. If I go through the entire department and not one specter arises, I'd say we could do it about twenty times before the auror department comes knocking."

Harry's smile had already soured. "The only thing your killing here is your chances of getting laid."

Emily faked a pout briefly, before relaxing her face. "We both know you have no intention of bedding me here. As for our last... rendezvous here, I'd wager they know nothing of it. I've a feeling sex happens in that room fairly often and the evidence is taken care of magically."

"Lets hope you're right. Which way?"

The doors had opened, and once again, Emily steered Harry in the right direction. "Through here. Normally we'd have to do some paperwork, but I've done what I needed to in order to expedite the process."

"Do I want to know?"

"The name Emily Potter does have some weight to it, you know."

Harry didn't bother arguing. The two entered a room and one of the clerks was already on his way over to them. The man didn't bother introducing himself, but he did stop in front of Harry and shook his hand exuberantly.

"An honor to meet you, Mr. Potter. And your lovely wife. Please come this way."

At Hogwarts, exams took place over a two week period. When they were taken independently at the ministry, however, they were condensed. The practicals took a similar amount of time, but the written portions were far shorter and weighed less heavily on one's grade. The written exam was mixed as well, a single test grouping all of the subjects he applied to be tested on. His test would be relatively small as he only applied for the core subjects.

Even with a condensed test, the written exam took him almost three hours. Harry was the only one taking the exam in the room he was in, but he didn't know if that was because he was the only one who applied today, or if he was kept separate because of his celebrity status.

The test wasn't a real struggle. All the information was readily available in his head and he quickly jot it down with his quill. He wasn't sure if the test was so simple because the practical portion was more important or if the ministry just skimped on the process. In either case, Harry felt more than confident with his performance that he was completely relaxed when the practicals began. This exam was far more similar to his OWLs in fifth year. The subjects were separated and each had its own proctor.

Potions was first, and it was to Harry's embarrassment that he was required to brew amortentia. It was the best choice for him as his previous encounter with the world's most powerful love potion had inspired him to study it extensively. Though he had never brewed it, he knew the formula and steps by heart. When he was finished, he noticed its perfect pearly sheen and only barely sniffed it. The scent, as it had in the past, made his knees weak and he knew that it was a perfect brew.

Charms was second and Harry cast the vast majority of the charms asked of him nonverbally. This impressed the proctor greatly, apparently, as the proctor started to giddily ask him to perform more and more complicated charms. After the second spell he had to use verbally, the proctor regain some decorum and ended the exam. Harry chalked up a second mental 'Outstanding'.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was third and the test was pathetic. His proctor seemed to be a plain auror and he was expected to duel for this portion. After Harry's third consecutive victory, the proctor ended the exam. The exam lasted all of two and a half minutes. A third NEWT was tucked away.

Transfiguration was next, and the test was human transfiguration. This was his only test with two proctors. One to test him and another to be the subject of his magic. Emily had been horrifyingly adept at unwilling human transfiguration and had drilled it into Harry. Harry pocketed his fourth passing grade.

Herbology was the final NEWT Harry applied for, giving him five in total. It was the only one he felt he struggled with. The written portion had gone well enough, but he found himself unprepared for the practical. He had been shown an assortment of plants and then was asked how he would to use them in multiple imaginary scenarios. The flora were not labled, and Harry had to identify them by sight, smell, touch, etc.

Many he new instantly. Dittany was one Emily had made him consume multiple times to heal small cuts he gained while practicing. Another was completely unidentifiable until he poked a petal with his finger. When he pulled his hand back he noticed it covered in a light dusting of Floo powder. The stargrass he identified by smell. However, enough were foreign to him for him to wonder if he even passed, let alone achieved an he Oustanding. Still, the proctor told him he had done an incredible job and wished him the best of luck.

Emily, who had been sitting of to the side patiently, approached him when he finished his last exam. "Wonderful work, Harry. Five Oustanding NEWTs, as I predicted."

"Five? There's no way I got an Outstanding in Herbology, Emily. I didn't have an answer to a third of the questions, and about half I did answer were based on mostly conjecture."

"And you conjecture is spot on. Besides, Herbology is graded differently. Your score is based on the amount you get right, not the amount you get wrong."

Harry stared at her. "That doesn't make any sense, whatsoever. Are you taking the piss?"

"Not at all."

Harry's eyes narrowed. This wasn't adding up. Emily was just staring sweetly at him. While he knew they probably had some image to uphold, he wasn't buying her story. What made it worse, was the sneaking suspicion already brewing in his gut.

"You bought my results, didn't you?"

He hadn't said this as quietly as he should have, and the proctor overheard. At the short gasp of the test administrator, Emily shot him a glare, before leaning to Harry and whispering.

"Not now."

Harry balked immediately. "Yes, now."

Emily groaned quietly. "I took out a simple insurance policy. You need to look the part of a powerful and capable wizard, and I wasn't about to allow some useless subject like Herbology stand in the way of that."

"So you thought I'd fail?"

"I said no such thing, and you know it."

Harry was worked up now, not willing to let it drop. "Just how much influence did you have on this test? Amortentia was an easy one, considering you know how in depth my knowledge of that one was. You paid them off to pick that one for me. Every single charm I was asked to use was a combat spell, without a single peaceful charm thrown in. Bet your behind that too. As for Transfiguration, human transfiguration is the most difficult, but why not ask for other examples. Why did they only focus on that? The only type you ever went over with me extensively. And Herbology? No way to zone in on my specialty knowledge there, so you probably just paid for the ace, am I right?"

"Not going to question me about the Defense one?"

"No, I think we both know that my pride would've taken too much of a beating if you had tried to buy that one as well."

Emily gave a slight huff. "Well, at least your being reasonable, I suppose."

"That's not answering my question." At this point the proctor had already fled the room, as if sensing an upcoming row between the couple.

"You don't always need to know what I do."

"BULLSHIT!"

Harry was glaring now, voice still raised, "If I give you even a moment to yourself you'll destroy something. That's just how you are."

* * *

Emily was affronted. That was a disgustingly low blow. First he had yelled at her, and now he was insulting her. While he was correct that she had certainly interfered with his exams, his reaction was unwarranted, or at least she felt it was.

"Oh? Is that so? Well then, tell me Harry, just what have I ruined now? I was doing what I needed to, to ensure your success. Is success not the opposite of ruin? Out with it then, what have I destroyed?"

Harry seemed to deflate immediately. Emily had thought that this was in her favor, until he spoke. "You're missing the entire point. The opposite of destruction isn't success, its creation. And what you always destroy between us is the trust _we _create." And without another word, Harry turned on his heel and with a pop, he was gone.

The next half hour passed in a bit of a fog for Emily. She made her way through the ministry, giving a brief explanation to those who asked about Harry's absence, before finally picking up his exam scores. Of course, it held five Oustanding test scores. Just as she had planned. Plans. There it was again. Her plots. Always getting her sent to the dog house. Why couldn't he just understand that somethings couldn't be left to chance? That sometimes events had to be molded a certain way, otherwise, things could go horribly wrong.

Harry would've passed each subject, even Herbology, though only barely. Why did it really matter if she fudged the numbers a bit in his favor? To make his future brighter. Why was he so stubborn?

"Maybe, he's not. Maybe, I'm the stubborn one."

Emily finished muttering this muted sentence right as the gates of the lift opened to reveal a face she hadn't expected to see. A face that she only ever wanted to see if she was burying its corpse.

"Mrs. Potter."

"What do you want, Mad-Eye?"

The gnarled auror's face twisted into a hideous grin. "Heh, imagine my surprise that once the healers finished unscrambling the mess I made out of my own head, Dumbledore's dead and you are just oh so conveniently married to the upcoming magical messiah. And to kick it all off, there's apparently another one of you causing havoc, with no one being aware of just who you are. Care to fill me in?"

"Not particularly. Though I'd l- _Obliviate_."

Though the memory charm had been quick and unexpected, Mad-Eye had not raised a wand to defend himself. Emily knew her spell had failed when the man's expression didn't change.

"Not gonna work on me, Missy. Still on potions to keep my head straight, so you'll have to do better than that."

Emily grimaced. She had taken a dangerous gamble with that charm. Though the view from inside the lift was blocked off somewhat by Moody's frame, someone still could've seen her cast the spell. She had acted impulsively, hoping to silence the new threat quickly. That had failed and now she could only wait for a better opportunity.

"Albus is dead, and Harry Potter is the puppet on my strings, Alastor. You have no way to fight me alone. Your just a solitary figure on a ship that has already sunk. Everyone thinks you've gone round the bend three times over. Once you start preaching conspiracy theories they'll throw your arse into St. Mungo's permanently. So if you value any semblance of normal life, I suggest you either leave the country, or seclude yourself into an isolated corner of it. You will not interfere with me."

"Not much you can do to stop me though, is there? I'm certain there are more loose ends that you didn't tie up. Other people who know. I'll find them, Voldemort, and when I do, you'll be the first to know."

Emily had officially lost her patience and bodily moved the grizzled ex-auror from her path as she pushed past him. She could hear him chuckling as she walked away.

"I'll cut that tongue out of your scared face if its the last thing I do, you useless remnant." Whispering darkly to herself, she made to put as much distance between her and the deceased Dumbledore's lackey. The Order of the Phoenix was a dying entity. Without its head, whatever was left of the body was floundering about.

Still, the man would have to be dealt with in some fashion. Preferably through excruciatingly painful death, considering his hand in Harry's precarious mental health. The butchering of a memory charm that massive had not been good for her husband. The old man could perish in an accident, she could arrange it to look like it was his own paranoia that caused it. Even if the circumstances were suspect, the man was not short on enemies, and surely no one would dare to try and pin the blame on Harry Potter's wife.

Emily arrived home from the ministry soon after, and noticed immediately that Harry was not there. She briefly thought about tracking him down and hashing things out, but thought better of it. Hashing it out with him would only work in the short term. If she desired a long term solution, she'd have to reflect on where she went wrong. Or, at least, where he thought she went wrong, because she was rarely actually wrong.

He said that she destroyed the trust the shared. Such a thought was impossible. Their trust in one another was immeasurable. But that was the standard trust, the trust that stood opposite of betrayal. The idea that he didn't trust her to have faith in his ability to pass was also hard for her to swallow. He was more than well aware that her faith in him was absolute. Therefore, the trust he was talking about, was probably in reference to the trust he _always_ talked about. That she didn't share enough with him. Obviously he felt as though her hiding this plan had somehow crossed a line. As if he honestly thought that she wasn't keeping some secrets from him.

So if that was the case, what precisely was the issue. If he knew that she would always hold some secrets, why would he be so angry about one she saw as so minor. She was still missing something. Emily was not a fool, thankfully. No one knew Harry Potter better than she did. No one. So, the real question was what did she do that really rubbed Harry the wrong way.

Sitting down in one of the chairs in the dining room, she began to wonder aloud. "Harry hates his relatives. He hates losing. Neither of which help me, unless he saw my buying his results as him losing. Or failing. No, it isn't that. He said 'what you always do'. Something I do often that he ha- oh."

It finally dawned on her. Harry hated being controlled. What was more, he loathed being controlled by her. "I suppose I did something like that. Taking away his choices and chances to do as he pleased. I've told him so many times that I'd stop manipulating his life, yet I seem to fall short."

If their biggest point of spoken contention was Emily's willingness to do anything to keep him with her, then the biggest unspoken point of contention was her need for control. Some days it was easy for her to forget Harry hated that. He was so passive, always willing to go along with whatever she wanted, that sometimes she didn't ask him for the okay. He was almost never confrontational with her, unless she did something terrible. This was probably a side effect of his upbringing. She doubted the Dursleys ever allowed him to voice his desires and wants. He was used to tagging along for the ride or else being simply left out completely. In either case, there was a difference between being passive and being ordered about.

Emily knew she slipped up every now and then, letting her past habits creep up on her. Being a terrorist, did that, she supposed. She occasionally did something oppressive here or there.

"At least I know why he was angry... I hope."

She knew to reach out to him now, but was aware that just showing up wouldn't be the best approach. He left because he needed space between them. She would respect that and send him a message instead. Unfortunately, she really only had two methods to do this. She could call upon Dobby to deliver it, but the elf was more likely to tell her off and then vanish without assisting her. She couldn't kill the reproachful thing either, as Harry was ridiculously fond of the creature. Which left her with owl post. And they only had one owl.

"Hedwig, sweetheart, come down here and take this to Harry for me."

Though Emily's voice was dripping with honey, the snowy owl made no move towards her other than a slight tilt of the head and narrowing of the eyes. The damned bird hated her. Emily knew this from day one, unfortunately. Harry was also aware of this, but he insisted that Hedwig was the greatest owl alive. Which Hedwig may very well be, but to Emily, the snowy owl was worthless.

"Come now, Hedwig. Harry would be upset if he knew you wouldn't deliver my letter to him."

This brought out an actual reaction from the owl, though it was not what she desired. The owl swiveled her neck and lined her eyes with Emily's before cocking her head. On a human it wouldn't have been too odd, but an owl's neck had much greater mobility, so the tilt was exaggerated. Emily felt as though the owl was saying, 'Oh really? I doubt it."

"Please, Hedwig, its a very important letter. Harry needs to read it."

This must've been the last straw of Hedwig's patience, and the owl's head resumed its original position and closed its eyes, as though it had drifted off to sleep. Emily was instantly annoyed. Harry was more than capable of warding himself from owls and if he so desired, and could prevent any other owl from finding him. These wards would never effect Hedwig, however. Something about their relationship simply broke the normal laws of magic. If it weren't for the fact that Hedwig was nothing more than an owl, Emily would have killed her out of jealousy.

Emily had wondered often what exactly caused the wedge between herself and the bird. She had never treated the beast with disrespect, as she was well aware how much Harry valued his pet. She had brought it up with Harry in the past, but his answer did nothing more than make fun of her.

_"She knows when your being a daft cunt."_

She had dismissed his comment back then, but now she pondered if the owl could tell when she was lying. Or perhaps knew of her fight with Harry. She wondered how that was possible, knowing he had not been home before she arrived and thus could tell his owl what had happened. Writing off Hedwig as a lost cause, she made her way to the fireplace. Looks like confrontation was inevitable.

"The Burrow."

With the youngest two Weasleys at Hogwarts, it was unlikely that Harry would go to the Burrow, but the only other option was one she was loathe to check. So she picked the unlikely, but easier option, and stuck her head into the flames.

"Hello? Mrs. Weasley? Are you home?"

Emily could hear movement close by, and soon Molly Weasley entered the room.

"Hello, Emily, dear. What can I do for you?"

Emily had great distaste for the majority of the Weasley family. Ron had been a thorn in her side in the past, attempting to get Harry away from her. Ginny was in love with her husband. Fred and George Weasley had earned her ire several years ago. Back in Harry's first year, the two boys had charmed snowballs to bounce off the back of Quirinus Quirrells turban over and over. She had been hiding underneath it. Percy was a pompous twat. Charlie she had never interacted with heavily. The same could be said for William, or Bill, as he liked to be called, however she knew of his romance with the half-veela and found it repulsive. Arthur was a pathetic muggle lover without a spine.

Molly was the exception. Though the woman was not Emily biggest fan, Molly was the most welcoming. Emily appreciated the woman's compassion and love for Harry. She knew that Molly had pushed for Harry's unofficial adoption into her brood of children, and she knew that Harry was better of because of it. Though she didn't make a habit of contacting the woman, she was not uncomfortable doing so.

"I was wondering if Harry may have come by recently. Today. He and I got into a bit of a tiff earlier and I wanted to apologize for not listening to him."

Molly smiled, but shook her head. "Sorry dear, but you're my only visitor of the day. If he drops by later, I'll tell him you're looking for him."

"Thank you Molly. As for your invitation to dinner next week, we'd love to attend. Thank your for the consideration."

"Of course, you two are family. Always welcome. Best of luck with your search. Harry's one to close himself off at times, but I'm sure you're familiar with that the most. Everything will be fine."

Emily nodded and closed the connection. Cursing her luck, she once again tossed a pinch of floo powder into the fire place and said, "The Doghouse."

The interior of the home was painted blue briefly from the flames as she looked about, hoping to see Harry in the sitting room. She had bypassed a simple call and had arrived unannounced. It was her hope to run into Harry and smuggle him out before running into Sirius. Though the man did not know who she was, some things a forgetfulness potion couldn't solve. Sirius hated her guts in the past, and that hate didn't change, he just couldn't remember why he felt that way. This helped alleviate the negative feeling, but it did not erase it entirely.

Emily made her way into the dining room, and saw Harry seated at the table, nursing a drink. His godfather was not in sight, nor was a second drink, so Emily figured him to not be home. Knowing they were alone, sans one crazy house-elf, Emily sat silently next to her husband.

"Angry still?" She cast a gemino spell on his drink and took a sip. The firewhiskey burned her throat, and tasted poor, but that was the price of using a duplication charm.

"I don't think I was. Not really."

"You were. You have a temper on you. Its fleeting, but I saw it spark back there."

Harry took a moment to take a drink, before answering. "You're not hear for an apology, I hope."

Emily chuckled. "No, I'm not. I feel I owe you the apology. I should have confided in you what I planned on doing. I didn't mean to take the reigns on your life again."

Harry scoffed, "Of course you meant to. You just didn't mean for me to be offended by it."

Emily paused, weighing how she should answer. "You're right. I have a tendency to lead without consent. I'm sorry."

"No need to be sorry. I know you better than anyone, including your obsession with control. I knew what I was agreeing to when I said 'I do', I just... get annoyed with you. I'm sorry too, for saying you destroy the trust we create. I do trust you, you know that."

"In many aspects you do. In some, you do not. But that is to be expected, I am not a woman who is to be trusted easily."

Harry turned to look her in the eyes. "That's not what I wanted, you know?"

"What do you mean?"

Harry sighed, tilting his head back. "I didn't want to fall in love with someone I couldn't trust. With someone I would disagree with. With someone I would fight with. The few times I ever did imagine a woman being in my life... it was never the mess that you and I face constantly."

"You must've never planned on falling in love then."

Harry looked at her, bewildered. "How so?"

"Harry, you are the only true relationship I've ever really been invested in. Or even remotely interested in. Well, to be perfectly honest, the only person I've ever really cared for. But even I know that relationships come with fights and disagreements. Often times, there are even moments of distrust. Our issues aren't the exact same that others face, but they aren't too dissimilar from them either."

Harry stayed silent, going over what she had said. Emily took this as a moment to push forwards. "Take a look at all the relationships you've seen at Hogwarts. You should be aware that it isn't always about acceptance and understanding. Sometimes, the dissatisfaction between two people can't be overcome, especially for younger couples. In some regards, we are far better a match than most, and while we do fall short in others, I find what we have to be most fulfilling. And I know you do too."

"I do, of course I do. Sometimes, I just feel as though we could fix certain things."

"And we will, with time. And we will argue again and fight again. That is a part of who we are. Its a part of who you are, a part of the man I love. We are destined for greatness, Harry, and the road will have its bumps. As long as you are there to chastise me when I need it, I will be there to support and protect you when you need me to."

Harry smiled. "Have I ever told you that you make it hard to hold a grudge?"

Emily returned his grin. "It depends on what kind of grudge you mean. For you, I'm sure you struggle, but for other's, including your godfather, nothing can wipe the slate clean, not even a forgetfulness potion. Where is he, by the way?" Emily made a show of turning her head left and right, as though expecting to see him in a corner of the room.

"No clue. He said he'd be home today, but when I got here, he was gone. His travel cloak is gone too, so I assume he went out for some reason."

"Hm." Emily's thoughts began to wander, her paranoia spiking. It was possible, though unlikely, that Alastor had contacted Sirius in some way or another. It would be detrimental to her plans if he may have already started gently probing Order members about their memories of her. The false Voldemort was already more on her plate than she deemed necessary. She didn't need the Order re-birthing itself like it's namesake to start meddling again.

"Let's go then. Your godfather still dislikes me, and I'd rather be gone before he returns."

"You go on ahead, I actually had plans to spend the evening here. I'll see you at home, later."

Emily didn't like that. The last thing she wanted was Harry being away from her, with Alastor on the loose. "Fine, but you should know, Moody is out of St. Mungo's. And he is aware... of us. Should you get even an inkling that he is nearby, be prepared to defend yourself and contact me with your location."

"Mad-Eye's okay? That's good to hear."

Emily scoffed, annoyed. While she was ever grateful that Harry was the forgiving sort, she wished that sometimes he'd hold a grudge. "He tried to tear us apart and succeeded for a while, don't be happy for him."

"Happy? I'm only happy that I can yell at him at my leisure later, but mostly I'm just peeved at the tosser."

Emily nodded her head, turning to leave the room. Before she made it to the door, she stopped, looking over her shoulder at Harry. "I love you."

"Love you, too."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N:Sorry for the delay all. Corona life is starting to level out to pre-pandemic levels (for me, at least) so gonna get back into the writing game.

Chapter 3

Emily made her way down the hallway to the front door. For a row, things had been solved ridiculously well. Though, in hindsight, it hadn't really been much of a row. A tiff, if anything.

As she made to open the door, she was surprised that it began opening before she touched it. Tilting her head down to take a breath, she prepared herself to greet Harry's godfather. The voice that greeted her, however, was not what she anticipated. Apparently, she was not the only one shocked.

"This was unexpected."

It was a slick voice that she'd know anywhere. Looking up she saw the gaunt face of Severus Snape, with Sirius Black and Alastor Moody at his sides. It seemed as though the old auror had been working hard.

In a flash all four of them had their wands drawn. Sirius stared her down hard, asking "Where's my godson, Voldemort?"

Of course, with a master potion's expert at his side, Emily couldn't have held onto the hope that her forgetfulness potion would remain. While she was curious as to how the man had managed to locate these other two within a couple hours of their altercation she discarded the idea of questioning them. Sneering, she decided to entertain herself. Harry would be along soon enough to end her fun, and she hadn't had a chance to flex her magic in a good while.

"You'll find his corpse rotting in your sitting room, mutt. Alas, I'm but a poor widow now."

Sirius bodily pushed past Snape and probably would've made a lunge for her, but Moody's gnarled hand snatched his cloak.

"He's fine, sitting in the dining room."

Of course, the old auror's eye would make things difficult. Though the auror was trying to keep his group's heads cool, Emily was one to let herself lose out on a psychological advantage, so she pressed further. "For now, maybe. But Severus here can tell you how quickly some poisons work. It won't be long now, but you can relax, his surrender to death will be painless." Sirius would be the first to snap, she knew he had a volatile temper.

As much as the words made her stomach twist, they also thrilled her. Murder and pain were her hobbies if one were to put it lightly, obsession being a more appropriate term. It was a shame she used them in reference to Harry. Still, the words worked and Sirius ripped out of his cloak to rush her.

This broke their formation, the hallway was fairly narrow and with Sirius now blocking their way, Emily was able to combat them easily. She cast a tripping jinx that Sirius was able to sloppily swipe out of the way of. In the past, she may have been in more trouble from the scenario, but Harry had a knack of charging her physically, so she was practiced in defending against it. After he overextended his wand from blocking her harmless jinx, she banished him the way he came. Right towards Severus and Moody. Both were experience in fighting, and neither were hit by the flying body. Severus did some strange magic and sunk into the wall, while Moody just moved out of the way.

Moody took the forefront and began shooting spells at her one on one. She blocked what she needed to and dodged others. She could feel someone's magic nearby, most likely Severus, but couldn't focus exactly where he was. Finally, Moody made a mistake and she capitalized on it. Soon enough, she had him writhing under a Cruciatus. Harry may or may not yell at her later for the use of the torture curse. She knew it wasn't wise to use such a time consuming spell in the midst of a battle, but she'd yet to take the three of them seriously. Moody's exposure wasn't long as Severus decided to make his reappearance.

His head and upper body descended from the ceiling behind her, a trick she would have to learn. Had she not been constantly trying to detect his location, she wouldn't have noticed him. She turned swiftly and hit the ceiling with a knock down jinx. Different from the flipendo, or knock back jinx, that pushed someone back, this jinx pulled something down. And with enough power, one could pull down a ceiling, which she did, with Severus still poking out of it. She only had a brief moment of comedic relief, staring at his legs poking from the the second floors wooden finish, before she heard a viscous growling behind her. This time, she wasn't fast enough.

Twisting herself, she held her arm out to shield her body, barely managing to get it in between her neck and the massive black canine's jaws. She smirked as she felt the animagus bite down on her arm, inwardly laughing through the pain. Her body wouldn't be harmed by a dog's bite... or so she thought.

Sirius put his paws on her chest and with a sudden wrench of his neck, her arm separated from her body with a sickening sound. It was painful, but was nothing compared to her hand exploding at the Dursleys or the pain she endured when her body was destroyed. She grunted, and only allowed herself to falter for a moment. It was time for the gloves to come off and have all three of them writhing in pain on the floor. The one moment of inactivity from her, however, was all Moody needed as she watched him begin waving his wand in her general direction. Only for him to stop and turn his head to the wall, staring at it.

"Oh, bollocks."

With a giant crash, the wall exploded, sending Moody flying into the other side of the hallway. Harry stepped through the hole he made, dusting himself off. He turned to her, looked away, and then his eyes snapped back to her immediately.

"Your arm? Are you okay?"

Emily laughed. She was quite alright, something Harry should have been aware of, but she'd forgive him for the oversight. After all, one did not see their spouse dismembered often. "Well, as you pointed out, I have been unarmed. If you could convince your dear godfather to return my appendage to me, I'd be forever grateful." Her wit would probably gotten a smile from him any other time, but now he just sighed, making his way to the transfiguring Sirius Black.

"Can I have that, please?"

The scene was almost comical to her. Harry was standing there, hand outstretched as though he were accepting a butterbeer from a bartender. Sirius was standing still with her arm tucked behind him, as though he could hide it.

"Its mine. I took it, fair and square." His tone was borderline petulant.

"Give it to me, or I neuter you." Harry's threat to the only person he considered family, other that herself of course, took Emily by surprise. She'd have thought that nothing could make her husband raise his hand against his godfather. Apparently her limbs were worthy of an exception.

"You wouldn't d-"

Harry's wordless incantation hit his godfather in the crotch with a severing charm, and Emily saw the man's face drain of color. She didn't hear anything hit the floor, so she could assume that Harry's aim had been off. Still his godfather keeled over backwards a few seconds later in a dead faint. Harry must've struck enough of his mark to matter. Stepping over the fallen the fallen man, he grabbed her arm, and moved back towards her. At this point, Severus had freed himself from the rubble and Harry looked to the potions master. "I snipped his bollocks, wake him up will you. I didn't use any dark magic, so he should be able to fix himself up."

Harry didn't bother listening to any forthcoming reply, gently pulling Emily towards another room. It was the house's second sitting room and he sat her on the bed and began patching her up.

"How did this happen? I've hit with enough cutting curses to turn you into mincemeat if your body was normal, what did he do?"

Emily grimaced as the magic slowly mended her arm back. "He must've used dark magic on his teeth, or something. Pulled my arm right off, like it was parchment."

Harry huffed. "Thankfully it hasn't been too long, you'll barely see the scar."

Emily smiled at him. "While I appreciate you caring about my looks, I won't be too put out by a scar. After all, I married a man with a rather obvious one on his forehead."

"Considering the fact that you put it there, I doubt you would've had much right to complain, regardless. Should be right as rain now, how's it feel?"

Emily wiggled her fingers, then kissed him on the cheek. "Feel like we never parted. Your skills in healing have remained pretty steadfast, I see."

"I had an adequate teacher."

For a moment Emily preened, thinking the comment was for her, before remembering that she hadn't taught him much in the art of healing. It was Bellatrix. Must've been where the 'adequate' part stemmed from.

"Yes, I suppose she was skilled in several areas."

A knock on the rooms entrance caused their heads to turn. Sirius stood there, and was smiling, abashed. "Everything okay?"

"I've put her back to rights, though I'd like to know why you felt the need to tear off my wife's arm?"

Emily had just settled herself down to enjoy the show before Sirius reminder her that she was the one in hot water.

"She said she poisoned you and you were about to die. I lost my composure. Why did you feel the need to emasculate me... in a literal sense?"

Harry groaned, completely ignoring his godfather's question, twisting his head slightly to look at her. "Why must you provoke people?"

"I didn't expect to come face to face with your godfather, Alastor Moody and Severus Snape in the same moment. I also lost my composure." Surely, if the comment worked for Sirius, it would work for her.

"You don't lose your composure, Emily. Even if you did, that's not a reason to provoke them. Let me go out on a limb her and take a guess. You did it because you were bored, didn't you?"

"Certainly not. Really love, do you think that I'd provoke your godfather to relieve my own boredom."

She didn't bother mentioning the other two, they'd only hurt her case. The fact that he knew that she did it out of boredom already meant it would be hard for her to con her way out of his accusation.

"Yes, I think you would, so long as you knew he'd survive. Bonus points for the appearance of Snape and Moody. Speaking of, where is Snape? I have a question for him."

Emily inwardly sighed, he was dropping the issue. Which of course, made sense. There were bigger fish to fry. Sirius looked over his shoulder. "I left the two of them in the dining room. I came her to defuse the situation. Things got awful volatile real quick, so I felt it was best I come in waving the white flag."

"So you're saying you all didn't mean to assault my wife?"

"We didn't even know she'd be here, Harry. We came to see you. And we most assuredly didn't expect her to be standing right inside the front door."

"Wrong place, wrong time, I get it. Now that we are all calm, I'd like to speak with Snape."

"Erm, sure, follow me."

The two of them left the room to see that Sirius had mended the damage to the ceiling. Moody was further down the hallway having a whispered conversation with Snape. Harry coughed lightly to announce their presence and the two turned to face them.

"Potter." Moody's gravelly greeting was met by deaf ears. Harry found that selective hearing was serving him well in ignoring people who annoyed him. Well, most people, anyway. His wife had the same penchant, but was not so easily dismissed.

It was Emily who took the reigns of the conversation. "Why don't we head to the sitting room and discuss things." Emily smiled brightly, but as soon as Sirius and Moody entered the room, her wand started moving. First she flung Snape away from the door and closed it. Then she made the door vanish and the entire wall glowed a light purple. Then in four quick strides, she pressed her wand into Harry's old potion professor's neck.

"Where are they?"

Snape, to his credit, only sneered at her. "I've no idea what you're talking about."

"Do not lie to me, Severus. I know to whom your allegiances lie. Where did you place my horcruxes?"

The look on Snape's face shriveled up and vanished, in truth, he seemed resigned. "They are gone."

"What do you mean, gone? You were not supposed to destroy them, you were supposed to guard them."

For the first time in Harry's life, he heard Severus Snape laugh. A true laugh, one that did not match him, though that was easy to understand, as the man had live a rather sour life.

"And they'd have been guarded well, as long as the order member who had been keeping me appraised of your actions remained steadfast. However, my contact vanished, so I did as I was instructed. Lo and behold upon my return to Britain to aid in your destruction, I find things to not be as I expected."

Harry had assumed she would continue with her angry interrogation, and only planned to intervene if things looked as though they'd take a turn for the worst. However, she sighed, and removed her wand from Snape's neck. "You have failed me Severus, and what is worse, you have betrayed me. If it weren't for the fact that you are loyal to Harry, I'd end you. I might have had to do so in secret, but it would have most assuredly been done. However, I am in need of competent people, Severus. And you are, without a doubt, an able wizard in every regard."

The shocked look on Snape's face was almost too much for Harry. He couldn't blame Snape for his next words. It honestly did sound as though Emily were trying to rope him back into the fold. "You… are am imbecile."

His response lacked elegance, however, and Emily hexed him several times.

Emily stormed out of the room and Harry went to tend to the man he assumed hated him more than anyone else. "Everyone seems intent on pissing her off today."

"Forgive me if I thought the destruction of her horcruxes would bother her more than a verbal slight."

Harry chuckled, taking the man's sarcasm at face value. "Don't ask forgiveness of me, Professor, I don't have that much sway over her." Harry stopped speaking for a moment, removing the itching hex, and began working on the burning hex. "She's over the horcruxes, wrote them off when you vanished. Er, well, a month after you vanished, and she finally gave up searching for you."

"I fail to see the Dark Lord being content with being mortal." Snape sneered.

It finally dawned on Harry the true circumstances of their situation. Dumbledore had not told Snape that Emily could create another horcrux. He had left that final piece of knowledge to Harry and Harry alone. So it would truly be Harry's choice as to whether or not Emily needed to be destroyed. Dumbledore knew that, in the end, the buck would stop with him. Harry chose his words carefully.

"She's not mortal. She still has one horcrux."

"So I've heard. Her brilliant plan to use her last remaining horcrux to clear her name. Shame that the thing went rogue on her. Still, hard to believe that she'd face mortality head on, just to keep the noose from tightening around her neck."

Harry smiled. "Maybe love can do that to a person. Perhaps her fear of death only stemmed from having no one to face it with her."

"I strongly doubt it. You're attributing qualities to your 'dear wife' that she does not possess."

"I'd like to point out that your head is still attached. Maybe you're the one who isn't aware of my wife's true character. We'll see you in the sitting room."

Harry allowed the man a few moments to ruminate on his words. In all honesty, if Snape held onto his blind hatred of Emily, then any sort of cooperation with the man would be futile. They'd have to find some sort of common goal and... Harry just shook his head, uncertain.

When Severus finally joined them in the sitting room, Sirius was the first to speak. "So, I hope we can discuss things more calmly now."

Emily plastered on what Harry knew to be a fake smile. "Of course. We'd be h-"

"Let's cut the shite." Moody spoke over Emily. Harry watched her as she closed her eyes and grit her teeth, probably reigning in the desire to add to his collection of scars. Emily detested being interrupted. "We have some things we plan on making clear, and we aren't leaving until you understand, Voldemort."

Emily lifted her head slightly, "Please, that name has fallen by the wayside. I am Mrs. Potter now." She finished the statement by absentmindedly tucking a few strands of hair behind her ear, pretending that the conversation was as disposable as one about the weather.

"You can be whoever you want, as long as you abide by the terms we are setting forth."

"No."

To the surprise of every else, it was Harry who refused immediately. This made Moody sour quickly.

"Should've known you'd be the biggest problem, Potter. She's got you wrapped around her fingers."

"In ways you'd never suspect, however, for the most part the reverse is true. She tends to be the one wrapped around my fingers." At this, both Emily and Sirius snorted. Emily, still smirking crudely, snaked her hand over his and entwined their fingers. Harry had not meant the comment perversely, but was not surprised by their reactions.

Moody huffed, the unintended pun flying over him. "So, you're saying I need to be negotiating with you, rather than her? Thats fi-"

"No, I didn't say anything of the sort. My 'no' was our answer to your question. Emily answers to no one, and no one will dictate her actions."

Severus Snape stood, teeth bared in a snarl. "So you have no intention of preventing her from burning our world to the ground? No intention of stopping what we all know she is capable of?"

Harry countered quickly enough. "You act as though ability is the same as action. I am capable of murdering thousands of muggles, does that mean I should be seen as someone who will do so?"

Snape scoffed. "That argument is obtuse, even for you Potter. Ability and action, she is guilty of both. We all know of her past deeds here, except you, so you can remain in that rose tinted bubble charm of yours, but the rest of us are going to take this seriously."

Harry leveled the man a cool look. "I am more aware of Emily's actions than anyone else in this room. Past, present and future. My wife will not be walking the same path that she used to, therefore, she has no need for a keeper."

Emily frowned, Harry was doing quite well in his attempts to sway their guests. The only problem was that he believed the words flowing from his mouth. Surely he had to know that if bloodshed was absolutely necessary, then it was a step she wouldn't shy away from. What notions did he have rolling about in that head of his?

"Then how do you expect us to work together?" Moody asked gruffly. "What with our inability to trust her and your boundless faith, what do you suggest we do?"

"Just put your trust in me, then." Harry said the phrase almost flippantly. But the words struck each of the three men at their core. After all, Albus Dumbledore had, at one point or another told each of the three men to do that very thing.

To Severus, it had been as the Headmaster was sending him overseas with the horcruxes. "Do you think this to be the best course of action, Albus?"

Dumbledore had smiled, bemusedly. "I don't believe a 'best' course of action is available to us anymore, Severus. All we can do now… is trust Harry."

To Moody, it had been months ago. Right after the man had expressed his desire to obliviate Harry, but before he had gone against Dumbledore and actually done so. "He's gonna make a run for it, Albus. She's corrupted him, mark my words."

Dumbledore, with the same bemused smile, "Perhaps, but I feel as though he has done far more to change her than she has to change him. I feel that, in the end... we should place our trust in Harry."

Lastly, to Sirius, it had been a much more emotional conversation, right after Harry returned to Emily for the last time. "He's gone, Albus. He's gone back to her and this time, I don't think he's coming back."

This time, Dumbledore could only sigh deeply. Harry Potter had been smuggled out of the school by his friends, something that Dumbledore could not have fathomed. He had never expected the logical mind of Ms. Granger to turn down that route.

In a rare show of physical consolation, Dumbledore placed a hand on Sirius' back. "Things are uncertain now, Sirius. We can't know the outcome of what has recently transpired. However, you and I both know the goodness that lies within your godson. Let's put our faith in that goodness… and trust Harry."

All three of them had been told the very phrase that they had just heard. Sirius immediately caved, only offering a nod, but that was to be expected. He had been around Emily the past few months and witnessed her interactions with his godson. He knew first hand what kind of person Emily could be, as long as Harry was in the picture.

Moody balked slightly, "Hmph, I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt only until we've taken care of the other you running amok. Once she's been dealt with, we'll reopen the discussion." Harry wasn't fooled by the man's attitude. Moody had played underhanded actions before, and Harry would be wary of them in the future.

Severus, who was normally a quiet man, was the most vocal about his disagreement. "I'd rather we just kill you now while we can."

Emily stayed silent, gazing at a picture on the wall, as though she didn't even hear the man. She would let Harry do the talking on this one. He'd be far more convincing than she would. "Considering the three versus one scenario you had earlier wasn't particularly going in your favor, I doubt a three versus two would be any better."

Emily loved it when he spoke highly of her. It was the best stroke to her ego. Of course, his opinion was generally the only one that truly matter to her, but she liked it all the same.

"I am aware. It matters little what I feel, however, I am here to destroy the Voldemort that is being a nuisance. Once that is done, and your wife has no other horcruxes tying her to life, I'll leave again. If she becomes a problem in the future, it will be your problem to deal with."

Emily didn't believe the man in the slightest, but she was surprised by Harry's immediate acceptance at the man's statement. "Don't worry, she won't."

The conversation stagnated then, with no one adding anything further. Moody stood after a few moments of silence. "Well, that didn't go as I had planned, but we've reached an understanding regardless. I'll keep my ears to the ground and keep you all updated. I expect you to return the favor."

Emily hadn't been directly addressed by this comment, or most of the others, but she couldn't help but latch onto the chance to goad the man. "Of course, Alastor. You're welcome to swing by any time, should you wish to. I only had a chance to show you one of my favorite spells up close, and I'd love to show you another."

The auror growled at her, "Piss off." Looking at Harry, he said, "Potter, good luck with marriage. Idea never sat well with me, but I certainly hope you survive it."

With that last, almost kind, remark, the ex-auror left. Severus' departure was wordless, only giving Sirius a nod as he left the room. Once the two other men were gone, Sirius deflated in his chair. "Oh boy, that was... intense. Didn't you have something to ask Snivellus, Harry?"

Harry shook his head, "Emily covered it for me, no worries."

Sirius accepted that answer without further persuasion. "Well, I need a drink. I'll be in the kitchen, Harry."

Moments later, Emily and Harry were alone. Emily was glad that things hadn't go too poorly. Though she, herself wouldn't have been directly affected, Harry might have been forced to burn some bridges here, which would have hurt him. Which, of course, would have caused her pain as well. Still, now she had a few more pawns at her disposal to deal with their new threat.

"I know what your thinking, Emily."

"Oh, do you now?"

Her smug smile transformed into a smirk. Though Harry's love for her was true, and his understanding of who she was as a person was far greater than anyone elses, maybe even herself, she doubted he knew what she was thinking.

"They're not your followers. Don't try and treat them like it, it'll only cause us problems."

Damn, he had known. Was it possible that he'd ever cease to amaze her. Her smirked turned, and as it did so, he gave a small laugh.

"Your face is easy to read love. For me at the very least." Though they were seated next to one another, Harry stood, and turned, placing one knee on the cushion, close enough to her leg that they were touching. His other leg remained standing, but he leaned his body downward so they're eyes were level. Both of his arms gripped the couch's cushion on either side of her head. In this one swift movement her breath was taken away by the sudden appearance of his bright green eyes. With only inches separating their faces, he continued to speak. "God knows, I've spent countless hours admiring every piece of it."

Had he not leaned in to kiss her there, she have pulled him towards her. But he knew better than to speak such words and simply walk away. After a couple minutes of heavy kissing, she pushed him away. "As much as I like where you're taking things, I have no interest in fucking you in your godfather's home. Let's leave."

He gently ran a hand down her arm. The one he had only just reattached. His fingers repeatedly ran over the barely visible line where his magic had healed her arm. Though the line was hard to see, it was jagged. "Looks like you have a bit of a lightning bolt scar yourself."

Emily scoffed at him. "I suppose, if that's how you wish to view it. I'm more disgusted by the fact that some of your godfather's disgusting saliva is probably flowing through my veins."

Harry chuckled, "Yeah, dog spit isn't probably the best thing to have in your blood stream."

"Its of little consequence. This body is an incredible replica of a normal one, even its cardiovascular system. It should filter all foreign bodies out well enough."

Harry faked a pout to her. "Stop channeling Hermione, Emily. Really kills the mood."

"Oh please, Harry. I have far more knowledge than your teenage friend, despite how well read she may be. You can't be put out every time I tell you something you don't know."

"Its not that, per se. It's when you say some random fact that I've never heard of. Reminds me of her."

Emily frowned as he sat next to her. "Clearly you miss your friends. I suppose it has been quite some time since you've seen them for more than a few brief moments." This time it was her turn stand, and once she had done so, she pulled him back up as well. "I suppose tomorrow we'll just have to break into Hogwarts for a visit with them. Its only their first week into the term, they shouldn't be too swamped with work."

Harry laughed, but he also nodded. "You know what, yeah. Lets do that."

Emily whisked him off to the fireplace, only briefly allowing him to inform his godfather he was leaving. The man seemed put out, but Emily knew the two of them would find time to spend with each other later. Though Harry's desire for sex may have been dampened moments ago, hers had not taken such a hit, and she planned on getting him back into mood as soon as they made it to their bedroom.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Hagrid had been wrong. Hogwarts was clearly not the safest place in the world.

Harry remembered the words his half-giant friend had told him during his first year with a snort. It was almost laughable how often people entered and left the school so easily. Emily, who had been walking ahead of him in the passage, looked over her shoulder at him and asked, "What on earth do you find funny walking in this passageway? The last time we were here was, in my opinion, a matter of life and death."

"Just remembering a friend of mine telling me that Hogwarts is the safest place in the world. Safer than even Gringotts."

He heard Emily hum for a moment before answering. "Well, under certain circumstances, it is. Should the school enact all of its powerful, protective enchantments, even I would struggle to break in."

This was news to Harry. "What sort of enchantments does Hogwarts have exactly?"

Emily scoffed, "Oh there's quite a lot. The school's magic seeps into everything inside of it. An enormous ward can be erected to keep out intruders. By simply touching the outside of the ward and not being a Hogwarts student, your body will turn to ash. I'm sure you remember the many suits of armor as well? Those are golems and they're quite powerful. They pack enough physical force to pulverize a skull in one strike and the metal they are made from resists most magic. If I were to ever invade Hogwarts, I would bring some giants along for the golems. The best way to handle them is brute force."

"If I ever had to fight one, what should I do?"

"Find something heavy, and either banish it into the golem or levitate it above them and drop it. You could try and bind them, but the bindings wont hold for long. A couple of minutes at most. Even my most powerful magical chains would be broken quickly enough."

"Yeah, but if you used the vinculous* curse to its full effect, wouldn't the chains crush the golem?"

"Nope, as I said, the golems resist magic, so they'd be even less effective that just summoning regular ones to do the job."

Harry sighed, seemed like a Hogwarts golem was a tough opponent. "What else is there?"

Emily stopped and turned to face him. "A deadly ward and indomitable golems aren't enough for you? There are a handful of minor protections as well, but only one important last obstacle. The most powerful defense of all."

"Stop beating around the bush and just tell me, Emily. Come on."

"It is, of course, the faculty themselves."

"For real? Don't get me wrong, the teachers at Hogwarts are cool and all, but the most powerful defense?"

Emily smiled at him. "I can single handedly take down the ward. It would require some time, but I could do it. Despite there being upwards of three hundred golems in Hogwarts, I could also destroy them by myself. Once again, it'd take time, but I am capable of it. Obstacles one and two aren't sentient so with enough care, I could make my way through them. Could I, however, take on every single teacher in that school? Not a chance. One by one, certainly. But if I were to walk into the main hall and they were to be waiting for me, I would be reduced to a wraith eventually."

Harry just stared at her, it was beyond him to believe Emily was admitting she'd lose a fight. "Didn't you best almost one hundred hitwizards back in Egypt. Now you're saying you'd lose against twenty teachers?"

Emily laughed at him, and kissed his cheek. "Circumstances matter Harry. In Egypt, I was on defense, and only needed to wait until the snitch was caught. I created a maze with an expansion charm and set many traps. I let loose a flesh eating curse and spread out fiendfyre. Yes, I managed to best a good hundred qualified witches and wizards, but they came to me, not the other way around."

Harry was about to ask another question, but it seemed she had more to say. "Also, there is a significant difference in quality as well. While an auror and hitwizard is certainly skilled, they aren't at the level of a core Hogwarts professor. Minerva McGonagall could wipe the floor with anyone in the MLE. Filius Flitwick could take on at least three at a time and best them still. He was a dueling champion, after all. Pomona has enough deadly plants in her greenhouses at Hogwarts to potentially wipe out Britain's entire Auror force. Lastly, your previous potion's professor... well, he was even more skilled in the dark arts than potion making. Potions was more or less a side hobby for him."

Harry waited a moment, making sure she was done before asking his question. "So, no invading Hogwarts, huh?"

Emily laughed again. "You silly boy, have I not already done the deed? Did I not enter the castle and steal you from under the nose of Dumbledore himself. Getting in and out of Hogwarts can be done rather easily, but a full on invasion of the castle and occupying it, those are nigh impossible. I could do it, with enough followers, but it would be a costly endeavor."

The two of them finally reached the end of the passageway and made their way into a corridor of the school. "You told your friends you'd be coming right? Where are they?"

Harry walked ahead of her and lead the way. "I felt it best not to reveal how exactly we got here to them. After all, we don't know how far Moody or Snape have torn through your potion. It'd be bad if someone here recognized you for who you are and then cut off our ability to come and go at will."

Emily smiled, grasping his hand as they walked. "How very cunning. You're starting to think like me love. Such foresight, oh dear, I'm swooning over here." She made a show of stumbling about, almost as if drunk.

Harry blushed slightly at her embarassing antics but chuckled. "If your going to pretend you can't walk, at least let go of me so you don't bowl me over with you."

"Nonsense, if I go down, then we go down. And if we go down, then we go down together."

"Well that's not very clever, now, is it?"

The couple had turned a corner and Harry smiled seeing his two best friends. It was Hermione that had spoken, and Harry only let get of Emily's hand to greet her with a hug. Ron, who was just a step behind, enveloped the both of them in an embrace as well.

"Good to see you, mate. How's the married life?"

Emily smoothly changed her persona into her public figure and joked, "Well with me being in earshot, I doubt you'll hear anything negative. Should I wander off out of earshot, well that'd be a good time to interrogate him."

"A pleasure to see you again, Emily. How are you?" One could always count on Hermione to keep things civil. Though she and Ron weren't Emily's biggest fans, a side effect of the potion from her wedding, they always tried to be polite. Well, in Ron's case, he only ever said hello to her, and generally ignored her from then on.

"Wonderful, and how are the two of you?"

Ron's answer was more or less a nod, followed with a grunt. Hermione, who Emily believed would eventually become his better, or at least much more eloquent, half, answered for the both of them.

"We've been as well as one could expect. But, Harry, how did your NEWTs go? I've been dying to know your results. How do you think the test differ at the ministry versus here at Hogwarts? Do you t-"

Harry gently place a hand over her mouth and she got the point. "One question at a time, Hermione. I got an outstanding in all my core subjects. I couldn't tell you how they differ at the ministry, I've only ever taken the NEWTs there. Compared to OWLs, though, its all just one written exam that takes hours. The practicals are portioned out similar though."

"Oh my goodness, Harry! All oustanding NEWTs in your core subjects! Thats incredible. With those under your belt, you could get an apprenticeship almost anywhere. Your tutoring must have been incredible, Emily."

And like that, any enmity Hermione had for Emily vanished. Hermione could never hold onto any negative emotions for someone who pushed her best friend to excel academically.

Emily received the praise with humility, though Harry knew deep down, she was giving herself quite the pat on the back. It probably didn't even occur to her that the praise was hollow, seeing as she had manipulated his marks.

"Well it was Harry's knack for learning that really pulled him through. I just... had to properly motivate him." Emily gave Hermione a conspiratorial wink that made the girl blush a deep shade of red, and stutter.

"W-w-w-well, I... I s-suppose that d-did the trick."

Emily wasn't done, however. "Give it a try sometime. I'm sure Ronald would benefit greatly."

Ron had tuned out of the conversation as soon as it turned to NEWTs, and only just returned his attention at the sound of his name. "What's that? What would help me?"

Hermione was probably not even capable of speaking, but Emily wasn't one to stop halfway. "Some study tips I felt like sharing with you and Hermione. They did wonders for Harry, six outstanding NEWTs."

"Blimey, mate. Six? All Outstanding? Yeah, I'll get Hermione to help me with that."

At this Hermione couldn't even keep her head up and buried it in her hands, shaking from the whole scenario. "You'll help me out, won't you, Mione?"

Hermione let out a sigh and lifted her head. The redness on her face was still present. What came out of her mouth, however, caused both Emily and Harry's jaws to drop.

"I doubt you were paying much attention Ron but sure. If you manage to get six Oustanding NEWTs, I'll happily sleep with you." And without another word, the girl walked off.

Emily and Harry both looked at each other with mouths agape. Then, at the sound of a thud nearby, they turned to see that Ron had all but collapsed against the wall. "What... What the bloody hell is she talking about?" Clearly the red head was in a daze.

Emily, feeling sorry for the boy, decided to make it clear. "Harry and I did date while he was studying, so of course, we got up to all sorts of inappropriate things as well. I may have leveraged those things to make him work harder. Clearly your friend likes you well enough to make a similar offer."

Ron only stared at her blankly, the only signs of his coherence being the opening and closing of his eyes. Emily sighed, knowing he was dense.

"She's not making you a simple offer, Ronald. I'm certain you must know your friend better than to think she'd make such a claim for any man. My advice... don't fumble through this the way you've fumbled through everything else in your life so far."

Ron nodded slowly, obviously still trying to piece together what had just happened. Soon enough, he slowly started to leave in the direction Hermione had left in.

Once Ron was far enough away, Harry whispered to Emily. "What do you think he'll do?"

Emily just sighed. "Who knows? Your friend has passable social awareness on a good day, but mostly, he's an ignoramus. I think, however, he cares for her enough to, at the very least, put his best foot forward."

Harry nodded. Odds are Ron wouldn't oaf his way through this one. "What do you think possessed Hermione to say that? Other than you teasing her."

"A combination of things, I suppose. Her best friend is happpily married, so of course she see's the potential for her to go down a similar road. Perhaps she grew tired of waiting on him to make a move, so she's expedited the process. Your friend is intelligent and as far as looks go, she isn't hideous. If it weren't for her pedigree, she could find herself a wonderful pure blood suitor."

Harry sniggered. "Oh yeah, she'd totally go for Malfoy, I'm sure."

Emily laughed at the comment as well. "Despite Mr. Malfoy's lack of decency, his social standing is top tier. Mrs. Granger could do far worse all things considered."

"That's... that's just gross."

Emily nodded. "Perhaps, but more importantly, completely impossible. Draco's father would never allow him to marry a muggleborn and keep the family name. He'd be thrown out on his arse, without a knut of his family's money. Far better than in my day. A woman in my year attempted to elope with a muggleborn in a different house. They fled Hogwarts one night, during the winter. Her family practically emptied their coffers hiring people to bring her back. When she was finally caught and brought back to Hogwarts three months later, he did not return with her. Even worse, you could practically smell the dark magic she'd been cursed with."

Harry was already prepping himself for what he might hear. Emily had told him some terrible things before that he felt should have been left unspoken. "Though she never uttered a word again for the rest of her life, I did notice quite a hideous scar on her stomach. I'd wager her family cut her open and removed her reproductive organs so she'd never have the chance to shame her family by producing a half-blood. Odds are they also burned or disfigured her vagina so any intercourse she would have in the future would always be a living hell for her."

"Christ Emily! Sometimes... sometimes you can quit while your ahead. You know, there are things I'd rather not know."

"Sorry love, I suppose if it makes you feel better, she never had to go through such pains."

"Why, did she see a healer or she never got married?"

Emily gave a short laugh. "Oh no, nothing so short term. She killed herself less than a month after returning to Hogwarts."

Harry groaned, "You really, really suck at making me feel better." He jumped suddenly at a sharp pinch to his backside.

"Or maybe I'm just not trying hard enough." Once again, she grabbed his fingers and held his hand as they followed Ron. "Things were different fifty years ago, Harry. Our relationship would've been fine, seeing as our bloodlines are already muddled, but back then, a pureblood's family would rather see them dead than fornicating a muggle."

Running his other hand along the stone wall of the corridor they were in, Harry was lost in thought. So lost in thoughts, he voiced them to Emily. "Had I turned out to be a squib, or even just a muggle, do you think you'd have still fallen in love with me?"

"No. I'd have killed you immediately."

As much as he felt he should've been offended by her words, he could only nod his head in acceptance. Emily might have been drawn to him, but she was also prideful. Odds were that she wouldn't have even tried to make sense of the strange emotions running through her, she'd have nipped the problem in the bud.

"Of course," she continued. "If you have somehow been playing me for a fool and were to suddenly reveal yourself to be as non magical as your cousin, I obviously wouldn't be able to kill you now. I'm already in love with you, so you're worth far too much to me. I would probably lock you away though, so no one else found out your secret."

"Oh, well that's consoling I guess."

Squeezing his arm into her side, "Isn't it, though?"

Her response made him laugh. "So where do you think the two of them are headed?"

"Well, we started off on the second floor and are going up, so either the common room or the Room of Requirement. Probably the latter, as the former might reveal our presence to others."

Sure enough, Ron stopped at the entrance to the room of requirement. Harry was about to ask him if he was alright, before he saw his best friend take a breath and enter. "I wonder if I should give them some time alone?"

"Hmm." Emily only murmured behind him thoughtfully. "I think you may be needed inside. If only to be a neutral party. I'll stay out here so as not to intrude. I'll come along in a bit."

Harry looked at her strangely. He was getting that vibe from her again. As though she wasn't looking out for him or his friends, but rather needed some time alone. Still, he trusted her not to do anything too crazy, so he went to join his friends. "I won't be far away, just knock on the door if you need me."

Once the door shut, and Emily was seemingly alone, she rotated her head back and forth, popping it loudly. "Show yourself, I know you're here."

"Excellent, then let's chat." Out from a corner, shrouded in shadow appeared a figure, who strode forward to reveal Ginny Weasley.

"Oh for God's sake, why must you cockroaches appear all at once!"

Emily couldn't believe her bad luck. Not only did Snape and Moody come back at the same time to meddle, so did Ginny Weasley. "Care to tell me how you managed to avoid my potion?"

Ginny smirked at her. "Please. As if I'd be willing to eat or drink anything after watching the man I love marry the woman I hate. I didn't even drink to any of the toasts that were made that night. I played along with everyone else until I could find you alone."

The words didn't have a hint of malice attached to them, but Emily knew better. This would be something more than just a simple talk. "Well then, out with it. What words have you been clutching to your chest so strongly that you'd wait until now to speak to me? What utterance do you have for me, that you can't risk my dear Harry hearing?"

"I know the truth, Emily. I know your horcruxes are gone."

It would seem as though a secret could only be kept if all others who knew it were dead. Fortunately, what was becoming common knowledge was a falsehood. There existed another.

"And? Don't tell me you plan on killing me here and now, before sweeping my widower off his feet? You won't last a minute."

Emily watched as the young woman in front of her just smiled all the more. Just the sight of her face made Emily angry. "Do you really think Moody's just going to let you off the hook?"

Sighing in exasperation, Emily was at least aware of a small amount of the girls knowledge. With her family in the Order, she'd be in an excellent place to learn of Moody's recovery. "You seem to be under the impression that there is a damned thing that old bastard can do to harm me. He won't succeed."

The young woman's smile remained, and Emily was finally pushed past her limit of patience. Ginevra Weasley had overestimated her value on the board that Emily and Harry played their game on. Grabbing the young ginger by the jaw, she lifted her up and shoved her against the stone wall. The reason she chose the jaw was to cover that obnoxious smirk. And to prevent her from speaking further.

"Lets see just how strong those Occlumency barriers are, shall we?"

Emily watched as the girls eyes widened and she gave a brief struggle. Emily knew the struggle was a front as the girl stealthily went for her wand. Unfortunately for her, Emily had already taken it. Without another word, Emily forced her mind at the other girls. She did so, over and over and over. For a sixteen year old girl, her mind was an incredible fortress. Emily imagined that the scars her horcrux had inflicted on the girl's psyche must have drove her to strengthen her ability to the highest degree. But a fortress could only hold so long against Emily's legilimency, and Ginny didn't have Harry's instinctual knowledge of how to lash back. After eight, long and grueling minutes, Emily finally pierced her way through into the girl's head.

"Clear your mind, Ms. Weasley. But don't push yourself too hard, you are young, and this requires great effort and discipline."

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore, sir."

So the girl had gone through further training with the old headmaster, it seemed. Very interesting.

"Remain steady on your feet, Ms. Weasley. Its far better to move out of a curse's way and retaliate than to use two spells. A witch or wizards physical ability is just as important as their magical prowess."

The girl was older in this memory, third year, maybe even fourth. Once again, it was Dumbledore himself who lectured her as they performed a mock duel.

The memories between the deceased headmaster and the youngest Weasley kept coming. The two of them had forged an impressive bond of trust and friendship. Until...

"What do you plan to do with Harry, Professor?"

The teenager approached Albus Dumbledore and she did not seem pleased to see him.

"I'm not sure I understand, Ms. Weasley? I plan on educating him just as much as any other student I've had. I will prepare him for what he will face in the future outside the halls of Hogwarts?"

Emily watched as the young woman all but gnashed her teeth with her responese. "Then why not train him as you have trained me? He's the one who has to fight her professor. He's the one who needs the power, not me. Why abandon him to a fate so grim, and groom me into a warrior?"

Emily watched as the man, conjured up a chair and gestured for the girl to sit. What surprised her, however, was that the girl actually did so. If it had been Emily in that position, questioning someone about Harry, she'd have remained standing. She would not cede control of the conversation like that.

"Mr. Potter is not in need of power, Ms. Weasley."

Ginny, who remained slumped in her seat, did not respond, and waited for Dumbledore to continue.

"No, you see, Harry is not in need of anything I can provide him to defeat Voldemort. He was born with it. He has the ultimate weapon against her."

Ginny's eyes had widened. "What is it?"

Dumbledore looked her square in the eye and Emily could have sworn she saw them twinkle in the memory. "Love."

Ginny scoffed. "Of course, Harry's going to give the Dark Lord a hug, and she'll just melt into a puddle."

Emily smirked, the statement was true, in a sense.

"Not quite, Ms. Weasley. There was a prophecy made about Mr. Potter and Voldemort. One that Voldemort seems intent on fulfilling. She personally put the prophecy into motion and I feel that she will see it to its end. The prophecy ends in one of their demises."

Ginny slammed a fist into the arm of the chair, "Then all the more reason you should've spent these years with Harry, rather than me!"

Dumbledore only nodded his head. "Yes, it would seem that way, on the outset. But how would you suggest I prepare him to fight a woman with so much more experience than him? Even if I were to train Harry for an entire decade, I couldn't hope to make him a match for Voldemort. Voldemort is obsessed with power, and has spent over fifty years hoarding as much of it as she could."

Ginny leaned forward, ready to argue her own case. "But even giving him the slightest chance, would be better than letting him die."

"You are so passionate in his defense. I wonder if he will ever notice that?"

Ginny sat back, blushing. She murmured quietly, something in denial but Emily couldn't hear quite what she said. It was only due to the nature of it being Ginny's memory, that Emily got the vague sense of it.

"Harry was untrained when he faced Professor Quirrell and Voldemort. He prevailed. He was untrained when he faced a deadly basilisk and Voldemort again, and he prevailed. Voldemort's most recent kidnapping of him and his return to us, is even more proof that he always will prevail against her. I chose to set my eggs in a different basket."

"Even if that was the case, sir, why waste so much time on me?"

Dumbledore smiled. "It is not only Harry's ability to love that sets him apart from Voldemort, Ginny. It is also his ability to _be_ loved. You, Ginevra Weasley, are the other basket."

Ginny's eyes widened, but she did not speak. "If Harry and Voldemort are destined to remain equal forces, then naturally I should create a third force. One that could tip the scales towards Harry's favor. One who loves him unconditionally, one who would sacrifice anything for him. Was my decision incorrect?"

Ginny let out a shaky sigh. "I would give my life to keep him safe."

This memory faded too. It all made sense now. Little Ginny was something like that bastard Dumbledore's living legacy. Even though the old goat fucker was dead, he had left bits and pieces of his existence everywhere. From the shattered remnants of the Order that was slowly reassembling to even this teenaged girl, ready to die to protect the man she loved. A man that would never and could never feel anything for her.

Dumbledore was a cunt, she decided. He preyed upon those weak to love. He abused the love Severus held for Lily Potter to turn the man into his loyal lapdog for over a decade. He had abused Ginny's love for Harry to mold her into a weapon to fight a war. She was certain that had she allowed Harry to remain in his clutches long enough, he'd have done the same thing to him.

The memories seemed to be coming at her in order of their emotional attachment. Because the next one somehow topped the last one.

"You bastard!"

Dumbledore remained quiet as Ginny screamed at him. Clearly this was at the end of Harry's fifth year when they had run away together. Dumbledore must have just broken the news to the girl.

"Love! You said it was love! And he LOVES HER!" Ginny began grabbing various things about the office and throwing them, breaking everything apart.

"What was it all for? Why did I work so hard?" The office was in tatters. The girl's magic had responded to her tortured emotions and wreaked its own damage on the room. Even the headmaster himself had not been spared as one of the windows had shattered, showering him with glass that cut into his wrinkled brow. He hadn't even made a move to protect himself from any of it.

"Its... a hard lesson to learn, Ms. Weasley. One I failed to teach you. Possibly one of my worst failures as a professor."

It was at this point Dumbledore shared his personal tale of his romantic feelings for Gellert Grindlewald. How that love was used and never returned. And how, eventually, decades later, he was forced into taking the man down. Ginny, who had been leaning against the wall, eventually allowed her body to slide to the floor during the tale.

"I can't do this anymore, professor."

Emily watched as Albus just nodded.

"Nothing matters anymore. Nothing."

The memory faded and Emily found herself holding the passed out girl against the wall. Strange, that of all the memories she had been privy to, she didn't view a single one in which the girl had sunk her claws into Harry only months later. Perhaps Ginny didn't hold those memories close enough to her heart because she knew of Harry's true feelings.

Emily was disgusted to find the smallest amounts of pity stirring in her heart. This harlot would do anything to usurp her position in Harry's life, but the small emotion was there. Of course, how could it not be? Who else on the planet could understand Ginny's emotions for Harry more than Emily? Ginny had been playing the long game, for far longer than Emily had. Emily had just gotten to him first. And she had never given him a chance to leave.

Far more gently than she'd ever expected to do in the past, Emily laid the young girl to the floor. If the young girl had been privy to all of this knowledge, then why be so untrustworthy of Albus in the beginning? Why ally herself with Emily by claiming to not trust the headmaster? It seemed that the old man had trusted her far more than anyone else.

It never occurred to her that Ginny had perhaps been conning her all along. That even if the decision made her miserable, she remained steadfast in her desire to protect Harry Potter. This was something that Emily was incapable of understanding. She could never sit on the sidelines, gazing at something she desired. She would just take it.

But all of this still boiled down to one point. If Ginny Weasley had given up on obtaining the love of Harry Potter, then why did the girl oppose her so strongly? Leaving the girl where she lie, Emily made her way to the passageway that would take her out of Hogwarts. She wouldn't interfere with Harry's time with his friends while her mind was whirring with muddled thoughts. He would be disappointed that she didn't join them as she had told him she would, but she needed time to think. Her invasion of Ginny's mind had been a wealth of information, but told her nothing of the girl's plans for the future. A shame that Legilemency had its limits. She could not control what she saw in a persons mind, only they could. And Ginny had lost consciousness too quickly for her to press the girl in a certain direction.

As she made her way to the castle's third floor, she kicked one of the suits of armor hard enough for it to topple. A golem was nothing more than an inanimate object until activated, after all.

"She's still a stupid slut." And with that last murmured phrase, Emily spoke no more as she left the castle.

A/N: This was the Harry rages at Dumbledore scene parody that I dropped from a flashback in the second book. Don't assume Ginny's at like, Dumbledore's level, but she can certainly hold her own.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Well, I'm recovering nicely. Things are well, though somewhat unpleasant. Still, even though I ruined our destination, I can still finish the journey. I've spent some time writing these past couple months, not much, but enough to splurge some plot out. Though some of it is rehashed, we can actually move onto the plot of book 7, which is, as my stories tend to parody, the horcrux hunt.

Chapter 5

Moody gave a long and drawn out sigh. "Nothing. The aurors don't have anything for us. What about you Severus? That mark give you any hints?"

Severus Snape and Alastor Moody were both standing in Snape's kitchen. Snape's home, inherited from his mother, at Spinner's End was a drab place, but it was adequate for his needs. The professor spent most of his time at Hogwarts anyway. Moody had spent the last day going through his contacts in the aurors attempting to gather intel on Voldemort's whereabouts. Snape had been subjecting his dark mark to various potions and tracking spells to see if he could subvert its connection from Emily to her horcrux.

"No luck. All locations continue returning me to Potter's home. So unless Emily Potter is hiding her horcrux in the basement, all of my attempts have failed."

Moody's grizzled face turned to a sneer. With a repeated clunking he made his way over to a chair and took a seat. "Wouldn't that be the treat? If she's pulling the wool over our eyes and has her horcrux with her in the bloody basement?"

"It would be unexpected, but also unlikely. The Dark Lord's final horcrux is worth more to her being publicly executed than alive."

"I still don't understand why the bint can't just make more of them. Capping the amount at seven seems stupid." Moody took a moment to bring his flask out to sate his thirst. Moody's knowledge of arithmancy was weak and his understanding of soul magic was obscure at best.

"It is possible for her to make more hocruxes. But in doing so, she would have to give up what she prides more than her very own life. Magic is intrinsically tied to the soul, if she were to go beyond seven horcruxes her magic would become unbalanced. Worst case scenario, she'd become a squib. Best case scenario, she would a large amount of her magical ability."

That caused Moody to laugh. "So we want her to make another horcrux, then. Make her easier to handle."

Severus cut off his line of thinking. "Such a mindset is why being an auror is so high risk. You fail to realize the bigger picture. The Dark Lord may very well be willing to make a final horcrux, now that she is married to Potter. Potter's skill with magic is certainly adequate and under the his wife's tutelage, he is more capable than he has any right to be. Factor in the boy's only singular talent, his speed and dexterity, and we may one day be stuck with a force that won't be dwarfed by the Dark Lord in her prime."

"I always said the worst case scenario we'd face was two Dark Lords, but no one ever listened to me. Said I was barking, but the lot didn't understand just what we were facing. So as long as she's strong, she hasn't made another horcrux, and should her magic falter, we know she's done the deed." Moody was, thankfully, quick on the uptake.

Snape nodded his head. "That, or should she simply stop doing magic and have Mr. Potter with her at all times, we can assume the same. Right now, the Dark Lord would rather work alone, than risk Potter."

"Do you actually by that load of hippogriff dung? You can't really believe that psychopath actually loves that kid. She's using him, plain and simple. He'll be dead as soon as he's filled his purpose."

Snape felt that was certainly a possibility. One that both he and Moody had repeatedly voiced to Dumbeldore. But the old headmaster remain steadfast in his belief that what Harry and Emily shared was not only love, but it was a bond of love so powerful that it had changed the witch for the better. Over time, he began to believe in the old man's words. Believed in them enough to where he had been willing to shelve his desire for revenge and leave the continent. He had honestly expected to remain overseas for years, before acting on Dumbledore's final gambit, if he ever had to at all. He had not expected to return so soon.

"I bore witness to the Dark Lord risking life and limb to regain possession of Harry Potter at the ministry. You went down rather early and did not witness the scene that I did. She completely ignored me and my spells, only bothering to fling random curses in my direction. Had I not been so foolish, I would not have gone down in that fight. But I raced to the boy as fast as she had, and I was hit by an organ rotting curse. Realize the fact that I was what the Dark Lord despised the most, Alastor. I was a traitor. And she paid me no mind, instead zoned in on Potter so completely that she didn't even take note of Albus Dumbledore returning to the fray."

Alastor grunted. "I'm aware of the horcruxes now, and what they mean. Her love for him isn't quite consensual now, is it? She's forced into it, thanks to her idiotic attempt at immortality. How long do you think the most powerful dark witch in the world will be content to be muzzled by her husband? How long until she breaks free from those chains?"

"It could be today for all we know. But, and if you dare even speak a word of what I say, I will make certain you never speak again," Snape regarded Moody with such a severe look the ex-auror was nervous about the information he was about to hear. "As a man, who has been restrained by similar chains for two decades, I can see why she is willing to remain bound."

Silence reigned over the room for several minutes afterwards, until the opening and closing of a door announced the arrival of the two men they had been waiting for. At the entrance of the drab room entered Remus Lupin, followed by Sirius Black.

"Severus, you've a quaint house. Rather cozy." Lupin, ever the diplomat, politely complimented Snape's home.

"It was a shit hole when I was born here and it will be a shit hole when I die here. Don't bother with any pleasantries, Remus, you won't be here often. The Dark Lord has had access to both of Sirius residences and Alastor's home is no secret, despite its protections. Leaving my home our temporary meeting place. I assume Black has filled you in?"

"On the necessary parts, yes. Harry's wife is Voldemort, she's turned over a new leaf. But she's also unleashed her horcrux as a scapegoat and had planned on defeating it, giving her a level of fame and public approval comparable to Harry. Things didn't go according to her plans and the new Voldemort is now a loose canon." Lupin paused, and Snape could tell the man was putting his thoughts into words. "We, the four of us alone, are going to assist in tracking down the new Voldemort as well as make certain the old one remains... tame. Anything I missed?"

Snape sneered. "I'm not aware that the three of you had signed up for the long term."

"I don't exactly have much of a choice in the matter," Sirius chimed in. "The woman is a part of my family now, and as loathe as I am to admit it, I have to play nice to a small extent in order to remain in my godson's life."

"As for myself, my feelings are mixed." Lupin spoke softly. Had the room not already been small, it would have been hard for all the occupants to listen. "The name Voldemort is certainly not a positive one to me. But I cherish Harry greatly. He and Sirius are the last remnants of a past were I was accepted. Emily released Sirius from prison and with her own hands, meted out the judgment to Peter that I had wanted to administer from the day the truth of Lily and Jame's deaths came to light."

Lupin looked away from the group as he and Sirius took the last two remaining seats in the room. "I also might have a real future in the magical world, should Emily Potter run the ministry."

This statement caused Moody to lash out. "Don't even think about that, Lupin. She won't deliver on her promises to the werewolves any more than she did to the rest of her followers."

"Perhaps in the past. But now, there is a person that holds her accountable. A young man that I happen to be on rather good terms with. Emily has always preached for magical supremacy over muggles." Lupin looked back to Moody now, staring the old auror down. "She has never excluded a magical being from a chance to follow her, be it the werewolves, giants, merpeople, or centaurs. I may fall below the social standing of the purebloods in Emily's magical world, but at least I would be a person, and not a beast."

"So you'd throw your lot in with a woman who'd sooner wipe the muggles and muggleborns off the face of the earth than let them be?"

Lupin smirked. "That's where the trust comes in, doesn't it? I am willing to put my trust in Harry to prevent that. Harry was raised by muggles. He has had friends who were muggles when he was a child, certainly. Though his upbringing by the Dursleys was unpleasant, I don't see him falling into the genocide camp. He is too... good, for that."

Snape cut the conversation short at this point. With a sour look on his face he said, "Now that we are certain of the founding member of Potter's fan club, let's move this discussion onward. Lupin, we've brought you into the fold because we want you to mingle with, as you put it, the beasts of magical society. Find out if our new Voldemort starts recruiting. Potter's wife is certain she won't, but I'd rather leave no stone unturned."

* * *

Harry entered his home with a grim mindset. If Emily hadn't shown up, it could have meant a multitude of things, mostly of the horrible and unspeakable variety.

"Emily, are you here?"

He couldn't place the feeling exactly, but he was certain she was home. It was something in his heart that tugged. It was instinctual almost. He made his way past the sitting room, only to pause, and slowly lean back to view into the room a second time. Emily was seated, though not in her favorite chair, nor was she laying on the love seat she complained to be too short to lay on, always having to tuck her legs to lie on it. No, she had a found, or more likely conjured, and placed a spindly black chair next to the window and was gazing outside. Harry observed her looking outside, wondering what had her so distracted.

"Knut for you thoughts?"

Emily didn't move, but he made out a smirk from her profile. "I'd rather sell them for a sickle. They're worth far more than a knut."

"So are many things, but that doesn't change the price people pay for them. I'm offering the standard rate here."

At this she turned from the window to smile at him. "You know that there is nothing standard about me, I should clearly be getting premium rates, from you of all people."

Harry inwardly sighed, if she could crack a joke, then things weren't too serious. Still, something had to be off with her. Emily was never prone to pondering.

"Well, let's discuss price later. What's going on? Why didn't you show back up?"

Emily shrugged, and Harry was almost about to blame her ditching them on a flight of fancy until she spoke. "I ran into Ms. Weasley. She and I had quite the interesting conversation."

"Please tell me you didn't put her in the hospital wing?" Harry groaned. Emily laughed, shaking her.

"Ms. Weasley is fine, but she's going to have quite the migraine tomorrow. I've found that she is far

more than what we believed."

Harry looked at Emily strangely. Normally you couldn't get 'Ms. Weasley' and just about any explicative in the dictionary separate from a sentence Emily spoke. But now, Emily was referring to his friend in an almost… respectful manner.

"You feeling sick, or something, Emily?" Motioning for Emily to join him on the small love seat, he kept the conversation moving.

"Nasuea. I've been nauseous for hours. Nauseous over what could have happened had I not acted as I did from the beginning. Nauseous over the feelings of pity I have for someone I want to set on fire. And, in the end, I am nauseous of how disgusting of a human being Albus Dumbledore managed to be."

Harry couldn't help the small smile that cracked on his face. Even in death Albus wouldn't find respite from Emily's ire.

"What have you found out about him that has made you angry now?"

Emily scoffed, turning her gaze back to the window from her new seat. "Apparently Dumbledore was manipulating Ginevra ever since the moment she relinquished control of my diary. Training her, making her strong. Strong enough to kill me, should I have ever returned, or so it seemed."

"Wow, okay, not really following you here. Is there some other kind of prophecy I didn't know about?

Because I don't really understand why Ginny is involved in all of this." Harry wasn't sure if she had finally tipped over the rocker in her head that had always been teetering, or if she was actually being legitimate. He gently caressed a strand of her long ebony hair.

"Turns out Dumbledore's far more a shrewd chap than I thought. Knew quickly that Ms. Weasley loved you and has since the very beginning. He used those feelings against her. Turned her into a weapon. A weapon for you to slay me with once the time came. "

"That tells me nothing about the deeper plan Emily, or the reasons behind it. Not that I'm finding the basic idea believable either, mind you." Harry didn't engross himself too deeply into what she was saying, focussing more of the feel of her silky locks in his hand.

Emily huffed at him, apparently annoyed at having to explain it to him. She didn't try to move his hand from her hair, though. "What did your headmaster always say was the 'power I knew not'?"

"Love. He always said it was love. I always thought it was stupid, because I was never going to hug you to death, but then our current situation came about and now… can't help but think he was sort of spot on."

"Yes, I suppose when one's tenth plan comes to fruition, it makes perfect sense to an onlooker to see brilliance instead of nine failures and one success."

Harry shook his head, she was going off on another tangent without explaining things again. But she now had his full attention. "Hey, uh, Emily. It's me, Harry, and I am, uh, still clueless over here. What does Ginny being another 'plan' have to do with me loving you to death?"

Emily sighed. "You think too laterally, though to be fair, you are young. I can't expect you to pick everything up immediately. It's not about your ability to love Harry. It's about the ability for others to love you. That is the power I never knew. No one has ever truly loved me. No one, except for you."

Emily gave a dark chuckle. "And let's be honest here, I had to hold you at wandpoint for months to get that from you. No, your true power is the loyalty and love you receive, not the love you give. Dumbledore knew it too."

Harry was dumbfounded by her statement. He had always felt that he would fulfill the prophecy by loving Emily, not by being loved by her. It threw his perspective of the present at an angle. Emily continued undaunted by his changing thoughts.

"Dumbledore discovered this early on with Ms. Weasley and didn't hesitate to manipulate her feelings for you. Honestly, I couldn't tell you which of you would win in a duel. She's been under the tutelage of Dumbledore for much longer than I have been educating you. And from her memories, the old man was not an easy task master. He worked her into the ground. I should've noticed that her advanced skill couldn't have only been attributed to her brush with my horcrux years ago. I dismissed her, she wasn't a threat, so I didn't look too deeply into it."

"So, Dumbledore made Ginny into a weapon?"

"Yes. All for you."

"But… why? She's been at this for years. Years, years she's been investing into protecting me, all for

me to turn to you. It's..."

Emily sighed, "Don't feel pity for her Harry. She made her choice. She shouldn't have been a coward towards you. Had she approached you with even a fraction of the spine that she had during her training, then I would be the one on the outside looking in."

"I know, I don't feel pity. Well, I mean, I guess I do. It's a rough situation, but like you said she made her choice. Dumbledore didn't force her to do it."

"That doesn't mean Dumbledore is innocent in this debacle Harry. He never should've asked a child as young as Ginny to do that. She should have focused more on healing, and not learning how to fight."

Harry shook his head. "I have to side with Dumbledore on this one, Emily."

Emily scoffed. "Of course you do, you always do. Why am I even surprised here?"

"What do you expect from me? I wish he'd had treated me like he did Ginny sometimes. Ginny lost everything in that Chamber, Emily. Your horcrux took everything from her. So, I understand why Dumbledore chose to give her something to fill that void. It probably was the only thing she could cling to while finding who she was."

Emily looked aghast. "I am floored by the lengths you're willing to go to paint that bastard in a decent light."

Harry chuckled. "And I'm amazed to the lengths you're willing to go to paint him as a villain."

"I don't portray him as a villain, Harry. That is obviously my role. I portray him as a terrible human being, because that was what he was."

"Agreeing to disagree, then."

"Oh? Not going to push for compromise here?"

Harry shot her a smirk. "Some things, Emily, I know you won't bend on."

"You know me so well. As you should, I am your beloved wife."

"Without whom, surely I would be lost. So what do think Ginny plans on doing?"

Harry watched as Emily shrugged. "She'll ally herself with the three stooges. Of course, as long as they keep your godfather in their confidence, I'm not worried about treachery. But I fear that Severus and Alastor may cook up something behind the scenes. Though, in all honesty, I believe Severus and I have reached an uneasy truce. As twisted as his love for your mother was, I don't feel he will attempt to kill her daughter in law."

"Bit of a stretch in thought, but you know him better than I do. Why do you think his love for my mother was twisted?"

"He was willing to have the woman's son and husband die with an ignorant belief that he could pick up the pieces of her shattered heart."

Harry listened to his wife's words. At one point, he'd have agreed with her assessment, but now he knew better. "I don't think Snape was that foolish. I think he was far more... realistic. I think it all boiled down to him trying to save what he was capable of saving. I'm certain that he'd already given up on my mother at that point. Snape was smart enough to know he had no place in my mother's heart anymore. Not a true place."

Emily stayed silent, contemplating his words. "Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Love can allow one's sensibilities to become abnormal. For instance, Ginevra Weasley was aware that you and I were, and still are, quite in love with one another. But that did not prevent her from making an attempt to woo you."

Harry laughed. "She never made an attempt to woo me, Emily. She was a teenager who had a shot to indulge in something she... coveted, I think that's the word. So she took it. But she also was willing to give me back."

"Only on the end of a promise to steal you away if the opportunity presented itself. I distinctly remember the phrase 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife' from my childhood at the orphanage. If even the muggles know that something is disgraceful, then a witch should certainly know better."

"I don't recall us being that close to the Burrow, nor was I aware that I was your wife."

Emily scoffed at him. "Don't be daft, Harry. Its the principal."

Harry nodded. "Its one of the ten commandments. I've heard them many a Sunday that the Dursleys took me to church. By the way, the majority of which I am certain you've violated."

Harry was joking when he spoke, but all too suddenly he found himself underneath Emily, his hand finally losing its purchase on her hair. The motion wasn't too out of the norm, though Emily was rarely this assertive outside of their nighttime activities. "You're mistaken then, love. You're the only thing I've ever violated." For several blissful moments Emily distracted his focus expertly with her lips.

Emily pulled away from him and Harry's wits returned. In the beginning of their relationship, he'd have been a puddle at her feet when she took his breath away like that. Marriage, however, built up a tolerance for that thankfully, and although she could certainly disorient him with a sudden kiss, it was no longer as stupefying as it used to be.

"Enough of this. I don't like speaking of other women and their relationships with you. Ms. Weasley will do whatever she does, and so long as it doesn't interfere with us, I could care less. The real question, Harry, is what are we going to do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Voldemort remains at large, though I am using all the tools at my disposal to track her down. We are at a time where we've nothing imperative to do, so what are your thoughts on the matter."

Harry pondered what she said for a while. She had a point, honestly, but he had no idea what they should be doing, so he said the first thing that came to mind. "Why bother with letting Lucius or Sirius doing all the leg work? The both of us should be far more effective at tracking down your other self. You are her, in a sense, so... where would you go?"

Harry watched in silence as Emily thought. He was unaware of the exercise in patience that it was going to take, however, as the minutes stretch into the better part of an hour.

"She's not me anymore, Harry. Not really. I'm not the same person I was, I have you now. You are my very reason for living. I can't make a judgement on her actions, because she isn't enraptured by you."

"She has Bellatrix, though. Does that give you any clues?"

Emily hummed for a moment. "I suppose. Bellatrix is most certainly alive. Unicorn blood is a incredible substance, after all. But her condition will be severe, meaning Voldemort will want to keep her in one place. I know for a fact her heart and lungs were crushed. Lungs can be regrown, but the heart is far more complicated. Even I have no idea what could be done to repair it. So either Bellatrix makes a horcrux and goes through a ritual for a new body, which is unlikely in her condition, or Voldemort finds out how to regrow a heart."

"Okay, so then, where does that lead us?"

"Austria," was Emily's reply, without missing a beat.

Harry laughed. "There's no way Voldemort moved Bellatrix to Austria, Emily."

"You are correct, of course. We will most certainly not find Bellatrix in Austria, and it is unlikely my horcrux will be there either."

"You're doing that thing where you don't really tell me what I want to know again. What is it that we will find in Austria?"

"Nurmengard."

"Bless you."

Emily groaned. "Do you know so little of magical history? Nurmen-"

"Yeah, yeah. Grindewald's prison built for his enemies. I read that history text you told me to read for my NEWTs. He was locked up there himself, right?"

"Indeed. And if there is anyone who knows of magic that can repair a heart, it would be Gellert Grindewald himself. I'd wager that Voldemort has either already been to see him, or she will go there eventually. We'll pay the old man a visit."

"Grindlewald. We are going to speak to Grindlewald? Emily, that's a person who went toe to toe with Dumbledore in his prime? Are you sure you want to speak to that guy?"

Emily scoffed. "Dumbledore was on the decline Harry and the man was in far better condition than Gellert Grindlewald. The wizard's been in a prison for decades after all. We will have nothing to fear. Just in case, we'll use the visitor's entrance."

Harry couldn't tell if she was being serious or not.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Austria was warm. Of course, it was only autumn, so this wasn't too surprising. Emily had booked them a portkey the same day they had discussed their plans to come here. The next morning she had two small bags packed and was shaking him awake for their departure.

"Why the bags? If we are just asking some questions, why do we need to be packed for a trip?"

Harry watched as his wife sighed exasperatedly. Knowing that whatever was obvious to her that was not obvious to him was about to be delivered in a condescending lecture, Harry held up a hand to stop her. "It's early Emily. Just tell me."

The image must have been amusing because Emily lightly chuckled. "We might get a lead, so I packed for a best case scenario. Every moment could count after all."

So Harry found himself standing on foreign soil once again. After having visited several different countries with Emily already, he found the sense of travelling with her again comforting.

"Been awhile since we've done this, huh?"

"Not even half a year, yet. Your youth is showing if you think six months is so long a period."

Harry with a grin, was ready with a retort. "And your years are showing if you thing six months passes by so fast. Careful, at your age a single fall could snap a hi- argh, damn it Emily."

He watched as his beautiful, young looking wife walked away spinning her wand betwixt her fingers. Rubbing his side from the stinging hex, Harry made to follow her. He knew she hated it when he spoke about her age. Which of course was why he did it. Looking around to his surroundings showed him nothing more than them being on a somewhat abandoned mountain ridge.

"So, where is this place?"

Emily kept moving, raising a delicate hand and pointing ahead of her slightly to the right. Harry saw nothing other than another mountain. "I don't see it."

"Its not particularly visible. Nurmengard is a rather imposing castle carved from a rather massive hematite ore deposit up on that mountain."

"Hematite?"

"Iron. The castle is fairly massive with several spiral towers. One tower in the center of the castle reaches higher than the others however, and it is in the topmost room of the highest tower where Gellert Grindlewald is locked away."

Harry nodded in understanding. "How many guards are there?"

"None."

Harry stopped walking for a moment, before catching up to her quickly. "How can one of the most dangerous people in the world not have any guards?"

"Not quite, Harry. More like they don't want anyone with a wand anywhere near the man. Powerful enchantments keep him locked away in Nurmengard, Harry, and without a wand he can't get out. There are two primary wards on the castle that keep him there, and a single one placed on his own room. A lonely squib is the man's caretaker for a stretch of several months, feeding him. I believe the job pays almost a thousand galleons for the length of the contract, which is a rather large sum as you should know. The castle is empty save for the two."

"So, if the castle is empty, what is the visitor's entrance you were talking about?"

Emily laughed. "Sorry, I was being sarcastic. There is no way for a witch or wizard to enter Nurmengard. It is impossible to enter as you and I, however, there are ways to subvert that. I will be using my skill in human transfiguration to get us inside the castle. Then we can walk into the tower. We'll then proceed upwards and check if the man's had any visitors."

"You know, ever time you make one of you plans sound simple things tend to go off course."

"It should be simple, regardless. For the two of us, anyway. No normal witch and wizard duo could break into Nurmengard, Harry. At the very least, one would need to be an animagus to get inside. Once inside, one has to pass through the myriad of Grindlewald's very own enchantments to make their way up the tower. The tower itself is where Grindlewald kept his prisoner's but the rest of the castle was his base of operations. The man was cruel Harry. If you thought the protections at the Department of Mysteries were powerful, then these will blow your mind, quite possibly literally. They may be even greater than some on the pharaoh's tomb in Egypt. Though the enchantments don't effect muggles, so clearly he intended to have a muggle staff keep his prisoners alive and healthy for their mental suffering. If my knowledge of Nurmengrad layout is correct, we won't be coming into contact with any of his protections though."

"So its got a ward to keep out witches and wizards. We'll have to be animals. You and I aren't animagus, though, so you'll transfigure us into them and we just walk in.

"Correct. Simians will work. Monkeys and apes will slip through the enchantments and their brains are evolved enough that we will still be capable of using magic. The transfiguration will have to be complete, no partial transfiguration will suffice. The ward will recognize our brains. That is why I will be doing the spells. While I am certain you could win a duel against one of your friends as a lemur, I wouldn't be comfortable with you attempting dangerous human transfiguration in that form."

Harry was already strongly disliking this plan, but couldn't help but feel a bubble of excitement flowiing up through his body. It was then he realized that he generally hated all of Emily crazy ideas, and the excitement was from knowing that normally they always worked well enough.

"Okay, so how are we getting there?"

"We can apparate close enough, but I wish to put some distance between our portkey location and our point of apparition. While its unlikely things will go wrong, if they do, I don't want anyone tracking it back to the two of us."

Harry nodded. "Did you get the portkey from the minstry? Don't they already know we are here?"

"Of course not, I changed the destination of the portkey."

"Wait, you can do that?" Harry was shocked to hear that.

"Yes, though its complicated. It involves a rather large amount of arithmancy and your knowledge in that area is a bit lacking. It wasn't a core subject so I didn't go out of my way to teach you the finer points. Most advanced magic takes a large amount of knowledge in arithmancy, though, so if you wish to grow more as a wizard, you'll have to knuckle down and learn it."

"Why not just change the destination closer to the prison?"

"Portkey travel is heavily monitored. I don't want them wondering why a portkey landed outside the gate of Nurmengard. Apparition is done by many and is not heavily monitored."

Harry nodded in understanding, then backtracked the conversation to the arithmancy bit. "Wasn't one of your goals to make me as strong as you, though? If that was the case, then why not teach me more advanced Arithmancy while we were traveling?"

Emily laughed lightly. "You're very strong Harry. In our duels you are certainly no slouch. If you and I were to go all out against one another, I could probably only win four out of five times. You knowing arithmancy wouldn't increase your chances of survival by much in a dangerous situation."

Though the words were said with praise, Harry's heart fell somewhat hearing he only had a twenty percent chance at winning. Emily must have felt his emotions dip because she clarified. "Harry, you're not even twenty years old. Being able to have any chance against me is already a feat worthy of praise. As you so painstakingly remind me, I am significantly older than you."

Harry was able to shrug off the feeling quickly enough, not certain if her words helped or not. He was fully aware of the power his wife held. "So why are my odds so high?"

Emily shrugged. "Because combat magic is simple. For people such as myself and your old headmaster, we can take on large groups of people in an open room. We know wide range debilitating magic, even deadly magic. In a war, Harry, things are simple and the magic is normally even simpler. You have the cannon fodder, like the MLE, who go down in droves and are primarily useless. Then you have the warriors, like the aurors, who can evade those spells and go one on one with you."

Emily stopped walking and looked at him. "You wouldn't fall for a wide range concussion spell. No, you'd block it, then get close to me. You're fast with a wand, Harry. As fast as I am. Your body is certainly more agile than mine. My reputation is misleading. While I can enter a room and completely dominate it, I couldn't do the same at the auror headquarters. Too many individual people with skill sets that can fight me. That's why I had followers. That's why I trained my followers. Even I can be overwhelmed."

"You said you beat Flitwick, McGonagall, and Snape when you fought the three of them and Dumbledore. What exactly is your limit against a group of experts?"

"Those three held Dumbledore back. Dumbledore and I don't waste time with normal spells. We go straight for the arcane magic. Something you can not do with others nearby. Of course, that was convenient for Dumbledore too. With a single distraction he managed to best me and steal you away. As for how many I could fight, depends on their skill. With a standard Hogwarts professor, I'd say I feel comfortable taking on three. As long as they worked together."

"But you fought the three strongest professors and Dumbledore at the ministry."

"And trust me, Harry, I was supremely uncomfortable. I managed in that fight, but obviously didn't win. Anyway, we are far enough, hold onto me."

Harry grabbed onto Emily's arm and mentally prepared for the sensation of side along apparition. It was always unpleasant, but he had no idea where they were headed, so he had no other choice. When the two of them were finally deposited at their destination Harry got his first look at Nurmengard Castle.

If there was ever a structure that could be called intimidating, it was the castle that held Grindlewald. It was certainly a full on castle. It was dwarfed by Hogwarts, but the difference was not as great as Harry thought it would be. The walls were solid black from what he could see and the central spire rising into the sky was what drew his gaze. At the top of that spire would be the man they wished to see. The enormous entrance, though still almost a hundred meters away was still visible, as were the words engraved on the doors.

"Für das Größere Gute?" Harry read out slowly.

"For the Greater Good. A slogan that should sound familiar to you."

Harry nodded. "Well, yeah. Its something you blame Dumbeldore's actions of almost constantly."

Emily frowned. "Exactly. It was a slogan he was fond of in his youth."

"Doesn't really sound like too bad of something though."

"Naive. You're so naive. How many atrocities do you think the maker of this prison committed, all in the name of the 'Greater Good?'"

"Yeah, but comparing Dumbledore to Grindlewald isn't even viable. If Dumbledore was a fan of the 'Greater Good' I'm sure he wasn't as oppressive with it as Grindlewald."

Emily made her way to the entrance and Harry followed behind him. He only barely heard her last words on the subject. "You will see soon enough."

The two of them made it to the doors before Emily pulled out her wand. As she spoke Harry look more closely at the walls of the prison. What appeared solid black now could be seen to have greys and browns mixed in. "Alright, I'm going to transfigure you and have you open the door. Just the slightest pressure will make them sway. Once we are inside the castle, we will only have to worry about Grindlewald's enchantments and not Dumbledore's."

"Wait, it was Dumbeldore who cast the spell that keeps people out?"

Emily nodded. "Obviously. Who else do you know strong enough to do so? No, wait, save it for when we are inside." With that Emily had transfigured Harry into a lemur just as she had said. Harry felt his body shrink and when his brain itself transfigured he was horrified. He could feel his ability to think and focus gain restrictions. His own head became a prison for his sense of self. He was aware enough to panic, but lacked enough sense to reason his way through his current predicament. His breathing picked up and his heartbeat quickened. He began to feel faint and it was only moments later that he knew he would pass out. He would die in this form and he'd never see Emily again. He was going to-

"Breathe Harry. Breathe."

All of a sudden, Harry was back in his body with Emily cradling him to her on the floor. His hyperventilating slowed to a normal pace and he focused on his surroundings. Black walls were all around him. Nurmengard. Yes, they were breaking into Nurmengard. "Wow, that was terrible."

"Yes, my mistake. Though I've had you practice human transfiguration on me, I've never had you yourself go through with it, not to mention such a complete transfiguration as that. It didn't help that I picked a rather small brained mammal. Had I picked a lesser creature, you wouldn't have enough brainpower to realize what was happening to you. Had I chosen a large ape, you may have had enough consciousness to recognize what was going on. I'm sorry, I don't often think about what I transfigure people into or how they react. Its normally for torture anyway."

Harry shook his head after hearing her explanation. "No, no, it was something I needed to learn. A good lesson. Now I know. Give me a moment to gather my wits, though."

Emily did so, and remained quiet until he pulled himself from the floor and out of her embrace. Emily must have notice him panicking, grabbed him and pulled him inside the castle before undoing her spell. Clearly she had gotten the two of them inside.

Harry shook his head once more for clarity before making a point he had wanted to when they were outside. "Anyway, why would Dumbledore leave a loophole? For someone to potentially get in here?"

"Normally I'd tell you something besmirching of your headmaster when you ask me something like that, but there is a limit to magic, Harry. Creating such a large ward to cover the entire castle is impressive enough. Making it strong enough to not be easily breached is an even greater feat. Maybe a couple hundred witches and wizards working together could do it, but why would they bother with Dumbledore readily available."

"I understand what you mean, but couldn't a house elf just pop in and hand over a wand to Grindlewald? Then he could just waltz out on his own."

Emily agreed with Harry's assessment. "Very true, but you forget there are two different wards here. One on the castle to prevent magical people from entering, and one on the tower. That one only allows magical people to enter. Grindlewald only ever wanted his strongest enemies in that tower. So he cast his own impenetrable ward so only a witch or wizard can enter it."

"So Grindlewald made a cage and Dumbledore just... sealed the spaces in between the bars?"

Emily mused over his words before nodding. "I suppose, though the anology is... odd. Only a squib has little enough magic to get inside the castle, and just enough magic to enter the tower."

"This just sounds crazier and crazier."

"It is. It doesn't help that the squib is armed with muggle firearms with an order to shoot and kill any intruders, not that this place has seen any since it Grindlewald was placed here."

"Didn't he have any followers who would help him? Even you had Peter."

"The times were different back then, Harry. Every important person associated with Grindlewald's reign was thrown behind bars, no trials. No attempts at claiming the use of the imperius, just life long sentences. His foot soldiers were were all forced to make an unbreakable vow to eternally denounce the man. There were thousands forced to conscribe to his forces. There was no one left who would or could save him. In the beginning many may have been truly loyal to the man and his vision, but after his attempt to burn the entire city of Paris to the ground, the only ones to join him did so out of fear or were just completely off of their rockers."

"What was his vision exactly? The history that I've read about him don't say much other than mentioning him being an oppressive tyrant."

"He was, for all intents and purposes. He wanted magicals to rule over the muggles. To protect them from themselves. A sense of Noblesse Oblige I suppose. Though instead of noble blood it was magical ability. He knew of the muggle wars and he knew that they were incredibly skilled at murdering each other. Grindlewald felt it was only a matter of time before they could threaten us one day, so he wished to put them under his heel."

Harry understood what she was saying. Grindlewald had been right, after all. Muggles did kill one another often enough and the existence of nuclear weapons clearly proved that Grindlewald was now more correct that he had been in the past. "The world has come a long way since then though. There aren't as many wars, certainly not a world war. I wonder if Grindlewald feels differently now?"

"Apparently, he feels somewhat remorseful, at least according to the words of one of his caretakers. No one has bothered to question him deeply on it. Here he lies forgotten, and the world is content with it remaining that way."

The two of them had been navigating the castle hallways during this talk and at Emily's next turn Harry's sight was met with a marble white staircase. It was bright, far too bright in the black castle.

"Gaudy, isn't it. I wouldn't be surprised to see that the Malfoys were descended from this man. Lucius' taste in décor would certainly lend credence to the notion."

"Its certainly, off putting. Why would he place a white staircase in the center of a black prison?"

"Probably to stroke his own ego. The staircase is where only he would roam, with everyone else being a prisoner locked in one of the rooms. Only he would have access to the way of freedom."

"I guess your guess is better than most. From one megalomaniac to another." Harry shot her a smirk, but saw that her focus was still on the stairs.

"The steps seem to be cursed, Harry. The white color may be an attempt to draw someone's notice from that. Not only that, but the steps are charmed to shuffle themselves at random intervals so it is impossible to know which one is safe to step on."

"You can sense magic better than I can, can you tell the difference?"

"No, the magic is too close together. Perhaps after examining each one for minutes I could, but we don't have the time for that."

"There has to be someway to tell them apart, otherwise Grindlewald would step on them when he brought prisoners here."

"Grindlewald was a seer." Emily replied simply.

This news floored Harry. "He was a seer? I've never read anything about that?"

"Its not a well known fact. But he built this prison and this staircase. So between his knowledge as the architect and his inner eye, he may have had some way of discerning what steps were safe and which steps were not."

Harry nodded. "So how will we proceed?"

"The simple answer would be a broomstick, but those charms would surely fail on the journey up. Fortunately for the two of us, I happen to be the only witch capable of flying without assistance. I will carry you with me as I go up the tower."

Emily, true to fashion, did not show a shred of dignity to Harry as she picked him up bridal style and began to fly up the staircase. She had done this several times in the past and always laughed at his mortification. It took only a minute for them to reach an obstacle, and Emily had to resort to hovering in place. The staircase was blocked by a wall made of the same material as the rest of the castle.

"Have we come to the top already?" asked Harry.

"No, we've not. There is a way around this, I'm just not certain as to what it is. I'm going to land, flying like this is tiring. Im certain the steps before the wall are safe. They'd be useless otherwise to subvert this... hindrance."

Setting Harry down beside her, she looked closely at the wall. "It has to be something a nonmagical person could do, if the caretaker gets past it."

Listening to Harry sensible comment, Emily hummed. "True, it can't be too magically reliant. Perhaps its as simple as a secret entrance. Emily began touching the wall in random places, and Harry just watched, unsure of how to help.

"It is certainly mechanical in nature, I can feel as much. I just can't figure out where the mechanism is to move it. Harry, you're far more familiar with muggle contraptions, what do you think?"

"I'm more surprised you're asking me than anything. In Dudley's cartoons it was always something that stuck out, like a torch bracket or a misshapen stone. Something like this thing."

With his foot, Harry kicked at a stone that stuck out half an inch at the base of the wall. He turned to look at Emily to see her looking at him with an unhappy expression, "Hmph. How simple. Let's go."

She quickly snapped him up and they began moving again. "Don't tell me you're annoyed about that." Harry, having nothing better to do as they moved, mentioned her reaction.

"It just annoys me that such a fantastic magical stronghold would have such a muggle device in it to prevent intruders."

Harry nodded his head. "True, but Grindlewald wasn't you, Emily. In the past you want the muggles to be stripped of everything. Grindlewald wanted them to be useful to him, if subservient, so it shouldn't surprise you to see signs of that here in his prison."

"They are far too dangerous now for Grindlewald's dream to be realized. Perhaps up to sixty years ago there was a chance. If anything, that is the reason Grindlewald gave up on his dream."

"What do you mean?"

Emily chose not to answer. The two of them had stopped and Harry felt her touch down. In front of the two of them was a simple wooden door, quite unlike the metal doors that lined the staircase up until now.

"Perhaps you may get a chance to ask the man yourself, Harry. We've arrived."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Emily wasted no time in opening the door. The door opened to a rather simple and bare room. A single bed was at the back of the room with a thin, threadbare blanket resting on it. To the left was a small bookcase, holding a handful of texts. To the right was the window, though calling it such was not a just statement. It was more of a crack in the wall that allowed air through more than anything, barely being two inches wide. Sitting under that crack on the stone floor sat a frail man. His hair was all gone but his piercing blue eyes almost stole Harry's breath away. They reminded him so much of his deceased headmaster.

"So, you've returned. Or have you? You're... different. Who's the child behind you?" The man's words were spoken slowly, but clear. His manner of speech had some allure to it, and Harry was certain that the man had a similar charm that Emily had as a public speaker.

Emily sighed, "Well that answers our question at least. Voldemort has indeed been here. She didn't even bother disguising herself either, apparently."

Harry, whose strict upbringing dictated his actions, stepped from behind Emily and introduced himself properly. "I'm Harry Potter, sir."

Emily swatted him on the back of his head. "We snuck in here for a reason, Harry. This is an incognito outing. Don't just tell the man your name."

Grindlewald let out a dry, rattling laugh. "As though I'd not recognize the boy with a lightning bolt scar. News does not reach me easily here, but even I know this boy's identity."

"Seeing as our cover is blown, this 'child' as you put it, is my husband. What did you tell the other me who came here? The imposter."

With a shaky breath, Grindlewald chose to ignore her question, focusing instead on her last sentence. "Impostor? One who impersonates another. I did not," the old wizard stopped in order to cough. It was closer to a violent fit than the action of clearing his lungs. His entire body was wracked with the tremors. "May I have a glass of water, dear. Speaking is difficult when my mouth is so dry."

Harry watched as his wife's eyes widened with indignation at being called dear. Clearly she felt the man was looking down at her. Stepping in before things escalated, Harry conjured a glass for the man and filled it with the aguamenti charm. "Here you go, sir. Please excuse my wife, her temperament isn't the best."

The man took the the proffered glass with a thankful nod and drained it slowly. With one more cough, he spoke again, his voice regaining much strength and volume. "I am aware. Her last visit here showed me that. I didn't perceive her to be an impostor however. She seemed quite... in character with herself. Rather, it is you, miss, who seems to be an impostor. Why are you being someone other than yourself?"

Emily was not known for her patience. "My reasons and actions don't need to be told to you, old man. I have questions, you have answers. That will be the extent of our conversation."

The old man laughed again. "You seem rather unyielding. I feel sorry for your husband." Turning to Harry, he asked, "Tell me lad, did you go to Hogwarts?"

Emily cut in on the conversation. "No, old man. We don't have time to dawdle here. We'd rather not be approached by your caretaker. Should you answer our questions I will be willing to converse with you shortly about what you wish to know."

Grindlewald shot Emily a look that could only be compared to the look of a person looking at a cockroach. "My caretaker comes once a day. He has already been here. Now, young man, did you study at Hogwarts, or abroad?"

Emily never took kindly to being ignored. Especially when she was the most powerful presence in a room. "What is it with your focus on my husband's schooling? He has taken his NEWTs already and Hogwarts is behind him." With her voice steadily gaining more and more venom, she asked, "What did my other self ask you?"

"Already taken your NEWTs, have you? Impressive, what were your results?"

Harry would have been happy to politely chat with the man for a short time before the man agreed to help them, but Emily clearly did not want him to. There was something about Gellert Grindlewald that Emily wanted to keep from Harry.

"If you ignore me one more time, you daft bast-" Emily was silenced by Harry with a wave of his hand. Grindlewald noticed the wandless magic and praised him again.

"Wandless magic? What a feat for you at your age. Incredible, simply incredible."

Emily did not waste time undoing the charm. "Harry may we speak over here for a moment?" Once Harry joined her, she cast the muffliato charm over them. "What are you doing?"

Harry shrugged. "The man's been pretty much alone for decades, Emily. He wants to talk to someone. So we'll talk to him for a bit. Then get what we want from him, maybe talk to him a bit more afterwards if you feel charitable enough."

Emily's eyed widened. "You will not be having a conversation with Gellert Grindlewald, Harry. The man is as good at manipulating people as I or Dumbledore. And you," she said with a shaky laugh. "You are painfully susceptible to manipulation."

"Perhaps," came the voice of Grindlewald. "you could let the boy decide for himself what he wants to do? If he has already passed his NEWTs, he is a qualified wizard. Don't treat him like a child."

Emily canceled the charm on them and gave the man a severe look. "Coming from the old man who calls him a boy? I'll take your opinion under advisement."

"I am 115 years old. You are both children in my eyes. Though I am certain you, lass, are not as young as you look." Grindlewald once again motioned for Harry to come near. "Conjure up a chair, lad, and speak with me for a while. I've not heard news of my old friend Dumbledore in a decade."

Emily in an attempt to shut down their conversation spoke honestly. "I killed Dumbeldore months ago. There is your news. Now, lets return the conversation to..." Emily's speech trailed off at the look she received from the old man.

"Tell me lad, is what she said true? Is Albus dead. Did he die by her hand?"

Harry was uncertain what he should do. They needed this man's assistance. It was strongly unlikely that this man was a fan of Dumbledore's seeing as it was Dumbledore who thwarted him years ago. However, if the man did feel regret for his actions as time had moved forwards, it was possible the man was appreciative of the old headmaster.

"Yes, Professor Dumbledore pass away several months ago. He happened upon an item that my wife had cursed, and the curse eventually claimed his life. My wife doesn't have the same respect that I do for the headmaster."

"Don't bother sugar coating it, Harry. I loathed the man, and take pride that I was the cause of his demise, even if indirectly. I only feel guilty knowing that his passing upset you."

Gellert Grindlewald nodded. "If that is the case, I have no intention of speaking to your wife, Mr. Potter. Albus was a dear friend to me, and I will not assist his killer. Mrs. Potter, you may leave."

Emily scoffed. "Don't even. I know of your past Grindlewald. Maybe not as well as some, but I am aware of your friendship with Dumbledore. I know how it soured. You threw him away when it was convenient to you. Now is far too late a time for you to feel remorse for your actions."

"If you leave here only learning one lesson, Harry Potter, then let it be this. It is never too late to feel remorse and regret. Those two emotions soothe the soul as much as they plague it." Grindlewald's words held mountains of truth to both Emily and Harry. They both knew that to heal a soul one had to regret and feel remorse for the action that caused the tear.

"Do you have one?" Harry didn't bother explaining his question, he knew Grindlewald would understand.

"No. I never had the ability to make one, you see. I enjoyed being stronger than others, certainly. But I never enjoyed the act of killing. It was always only a necessity. It was, pardon the phrase, for the greater good."

It was at this point Harry felt truly comfortable with the most notorious man in the magical world. While Emily may have been more powerful, her name was not as well known across the planet. "Can you tell me how to leave here safely?"

At Grindlewald's nod, Harry turned to Emily. "You can leave, Emily. I'll see you at home." He could clearly see her anger, but Harry kept his gaze level with her and she cooled after a few moments.

"Do not, for even a moment, let him touch your wand, Harry. Come back safely. Should he not return to me, _Gellert_, I will return for you and when I leave the _entire_ staircase will be red. Are we clear?" Grindlewald only absentmindedly nodded at her comments and she turned to leave. She stopped, turned around and went back to Harry. Pulling him into her arms, she whispered, "Don't let him deceive you, Harry. Come back to me." With a hard kiss to his lips she left again.

When she finally left, Gellert Grindlewald guffawed. "Probably the most impressive thing about you, Harry Potter, is how you have the murderer of your parents completely wrapped around your finger."

Harry felt his lips turn upward. "So you knew." The old man was sharp.

"Such things can't escape my notice, young man. Her body was created through a ritual. My eyes can detect that much."

"Emily mentioned you were a seer. Does that change what your eyes pick up on? I'm not too knowledgeable on what seers can do."

"A seer is one who has the inner eye. Many, can perceive possible eventualities. The vast majority are stuck with a more mundane perception of insight. And a select few, can see far more than just what lies ahead."

"I take it that you belong to the latter camp?"

The old man smiled at Harry. "Let's ignore my talents, Mr. Potter. Instead, why don't we clear up your wife's questions. Then we may proceed with mine."

Harry felt a cold chill run over his body. "You have questions for me? Like what?"

"As I said, we'll address them soon enough. Lord Voldemort came to see me, asking a rather curious question for someone so... ruthless. She wanted to know several things, actually. The first was how to restore a human heart. I told her it was impossible, but she was rather insistent that I give her something. There is, a way to replace the heart of a mortal, though it is unwise."

Harry could already tell that the words were going to be disturbing. "How?"

Grindlewald smiled. "By transplanting the heart of a unicorn. I'm sure you know of the curse of unicorn blood?"

Harry nodded, "Yes. But the person she wants to save has already consumed unicorn blood to stay alive."

"Of course, that is, after all, the only way to live without a heart. For a short time, anyway. To place the unicorn's heart inside the body, however, makes the curse alter. One who has consumed unicorn's blood can not feel happiness. But one who steals the heart of a unicorn does not know happiness."

"I don't quite understand."

"In essance, it is the only 'cure' to the unicorn's curse. Though the term cure is a misnomer. One can not feel the pain of losing out on the feeling of happiness when they no longer understand what happiness is. They lose what makes them human. They cease to feel emotion, and only operate on knowledge. A unicorn symbolizes purity, Mr. Potter. Do you know why?"

"No, sir. Why?" Harry was so drawn into the old man's words, he inched closer.

"Because they are pure. Impurity is caused by emotion, Mr. Potter. Emotions, feelings, they give way to desire. And desire allows darkness the purchase it needs to enter the heart. Unicorns are the only intelligent life on our planet that do... not... feel."

"I learned about unicorns at Hogwarts. That wasn't a part of the curriculum."

Grindlewald shook his head. "Of course it wasn't. Neither did they tell you about drinking its blood, I'm sure. Somethings are better left unsaid. Back in my day, we were taught that unicorns would only allow virgin women to touch them. The ministry allows certain misinformation to be disseminated to the public. An adult unicorn will allow anyone pure to ride them, but for the majority of humanity this applies only to infants and small children. An occasional muggle with incredible restraint and fortitude might be allowed the opportunity. Generally however, the most contact you can have with one is touch, and even that is restricted to younger people."

"So Voldemort will transplant a unicorn heart into Bellatrix. What else did she ask about?"

Grindlewald shivered. Watching the old man reach for the thin blanket and wrap it around himself slowly caused Harry to feel pity for the old man. He cast a warming charm on the blanket and the man gave him an appreciative smile. "Thank you, lad. Her second question was about removing the curse altogether. I told her that without removing the soul to a different body, it was impossible. She pressed me again for more, but on this, I had nothing to give."

Harry nodded, "Okay, what else? Anything, no matter how small, any clue could be helpful."

"She spoke to me of soul mates."

Harry's throat dried up. "What, hrm, what did you say?"

"I told her I knew nothing on the subject. She did not ask again. The final thing she wanted to know about was the source of my magical strength. Such an odd question really. I told her I was magically gifted, not only with my abilities as a seer, but also with the amount of magic I could sucessfully wield. She asked me for anything that could make her stronger, before imparting to me the truth of her existence. Her rather false existence."

"So that's why you brought up remorse. You shouldn't have, I don't think my wife is capable of the emotion. Not for what she did in the past."

"So quick to forget the first lesson, Mr. Potter. Such youthful heedlessness. It is never too late for remorse and regret. Should she be able to feel the emotion now, it is not too late for her to reflect. That is all it will take. Still, I won't bother speaking to you of that. I told your wife's wayward soul fragment that I once was in possession of an artifact that made me even more powerful than I had any right to be. I even told her where it was last, though it seems you've already beaten her to the prize, Mr. Potter."

Harry gave the man a curious stare and saw his eyes flicker down to his wand. To his wand and to his denim pants where another, more powerful wand resided. "You had the elder wand once?"

"Yes, long ago a dear friend of mine and I decided we would change the world together, Mr. Potter. We would do it for the 'Greater Good'. We would seek out what were known as the three deathly hallows. Death's cloak, the elder wand, and the resurrection stone. With those three powerful artifacts we would be unstoppable. But, reality came crashing down, and Albus and I were forced to separate."

"What? Dumbledore? You both wanted to... change the world?"

"Of course. I met Albus when I was your age. He was brilliant, Harry. He was magnificent. Every single part of him was exemplary. I was enamored by his ability. But he was humble. Oh, he knew of his power, he was never unaware of it. But he had no intentions of putting it to use. I, on the other hand, as soon as I met him, I had already considered him mine."

"What did you do?"

"I did everything I needed to. I used every ounce of charm I had. I was witty, I made him laugh. I complemented him, showed him magic he hadn't come across in school. He saw me as his better, such was his inexperience, but my _eye_ could see the true difference. Albus Dumbledore's greatness was overwhelming, no one has ever come close to it, save one. But you're wife is gone now, so let's not bring her back up."

"So Dumbledore joined you?"

Grindlewald laughed. "Joined me? Nonsense, this was before I had even realized my plans for the future. No, it was with Albus that we _formed_ our plans for the future. We decided we would control the muggle world, and guide the muggles through their lives. They were too destructive to be left alone. I can tell that you agree with me, at least on that much."

Harry nodded. Grindlewald continued. "Soon, Albus had fallen for my charms. He confessed his love for me. A man with even a shred of dignity would have been honest at that point. But I was young, powerful, and was being offered a large measure of control over the one individual who was stronger than I was. I reasoned to myself that he wanted what I could offer and that in the end, power is control. I told him I cherished him as well. We only spent a few short months together, but when his brother returned home, it all ceased."

"Dumbledore cared for his younger sister after his mother died. She... was dependent on him. She had been attacked as a child by a group of muggles and began to deny her own magic. She became what is known as an obscurial. An obscurial possesses incredible power, though extremely short life spans as their magic will destroy them. I had plans then, for Arianna, but she passed away during a fight between myself and her two brothers. I, already wanted for crimes in my native country, fled and left Albus alone to bury his sister."

Grindlewald sighed. "I abandoned Albus, just as your wife said. And he never sought me out. I always believed he blamed me for the death of his sister. With that belief in mind I began searching for a power to rival him, knowing that I alone could not be his match should he oppose me in the future. In my search I came across the location of the elder wand and I stole it for myself. I never did manage to control the true power I found to fight against Dumbeldore, and so I was left to fight him alone. I lost, obviously, and I was imprisoned here."

Harry sat silently, taking in all that Grindlewald had shared with him. This was why Emily only saw the worst in Dumbledore. She knew the kind of person he had been when he was younger. Emily who had never grown as a person, however, assumed that Dumbledore had also remained the same just as she had. "Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance?"

"I have many regrets Mr. Potter, but I still believe that my cause was righteous. If anything, I wish I had acted sooner. Only days after my defeat by Albus, did the Americans drop the bombs on Japan. Once I heard the news I knew that the muggles had grown too strong to be placed under the heel of magic. All of my ambitions were started too late. In regards to Albus, I wish I hadn't stayed away. If I had returned, told him the truth about his sister and consoled him, I would've been able to realize my goals with his strength at my side."

Harry nodded. He understood the man perfectly. How could he not, when his wife had the exact same personality. "I suppose Dumbledore and I had a lot in common. Both he and I were manipulated into falling in love with powerful people. Both of those people were enamored with us. I was the lucky one in the end. When things got tough and Emily had to choose between escape and me, she chose me. Emily has always chosen me. In return, I have always chosen her. In all honesty, Mr. Grindlewald. I believe Dumbledore would have made the same choice for you, should you have chosen him."

Harry watch as the man closed his eyes and chuckled. "In this, Mr. Potter, your _sight_ is better than my own. I believe you are correct, and that brings me peace of mind. Do you know if he ever found the rest of the Hallows?"

Harry nodded, pulling all three out for Grindlewald to see. He always kept the ring around the wand in his pocket and the cloak was always within a fold of his robe. "He found them all, and gave them to me. Should I ever have to stop Emily in the future."

Gazing at all three in an almost longing way, he asked a simple question. "May I borrow the stone? Just for a time?"

Harry did not need to ask what the man needed it for. It was all too clear. He nodded. "Yes, I will step outside." Had the man asked to touch either the wand or the cloak, Harry would have denied his request, but there was only one single purpose of the stone. And after hearing the man's tale, he could not begrudge him the one favor.

Sitting himself on the stairs outside Harry waited patiently. He did not move when he heard the gasp of surprise. He did not move when he heard the sobs. He remained still even when the sorrowful cries were impossible to ignore. He sat rigidly for what seemed like hours until he heard a soft knock on the other side of the door.

The sight of Gellert Grindlewald was completely different than before. When he had first seen the man, it was clear that he was a prisoner. He was the very definition of defeated. Now the man had power in his steps and though his eyes were clearly red, his voice didn't hold a trace of sadness when he placed the ring back into Harry's hand.

"Thank you, Harry Potter. The gift you gave me, I won't forget it." The man retreated to his bed and sat down on it. "Is there perchance, anything else you wished to know?"

Harry took a moment to wrack his brain. This was Gellert Grindlewald, after all, and he was given license to ask anything he wanted of the man.

"You said Voldemort asked you about power. To be honest with you, despite the unbalanced relationship, I love my wife. She is my everything. But I lack the strength to keep her safe, and some days she is intent on risking everything on some crazy plan of hers. So, I'm sorry that my last question is the same as your last visitor's, but what can I do to be stronger?"

Grindlewald smiled at him. "I did not expect that from you, Mr. Potter. If you truly possess the elder wand, you already possess plenty of strength. However, I can impart to you a small gift, though I would require your trust for me to pass it along. It would be a power that you would be able to use to protect your wife from the dangers that riddle the path the two of you walk."

Harry was on guard hearing that. "What kind of trust would this entail?"

"You would have to allow me the use of the elder wand."

"Not happening." Harry's response was immediate and Grindlewald laughed.

"I thought as much. Then, no, I am afraid there is nothing I can do to help you."

Harry nodded and rose to leave, but paused and looked on the old wizard's calm face. "What would you do with it? The wand?"

"I would use it to help you _see_, Mr. Potter. The wand recognizes you as its master, it will not act against you, but it will act for your betterment. And I, as a previous wielder of the wand, am capable of using it to its full potential."

"How would this help me?"

"You would be able to peer into your wife's destiny. A true seer can not only see someone's destiny, but they can see how to alter the journey to it. The end result is the same, death does come for us all at some point, but you will be able to influence the path she takes."

"Why not change your own destiny, then?"

Grindlewald smiled shrewdly. "One who meddles in the affairs of others is restrained from meddling with their own. Should you accept this, you're future will be set in stone."

"But Emily's future and mine are the same. How can I change one but not the other?!"

With a simple shrug, the old man replied, "That is for you to figure out."

Everything about this screamed manipulation. This what Emily had warned him about. He knew in his heart that this was a trade. He knew that if he handed over the wand, Grindlewald would most certainly escape, but he also knew that the man would still give him this power that he now wanted. No, it was a power that he needed. After all, there was already a path in Emily's future that he wanted to change, but was incapable. If Grindlewald was correct, maybe that horrible future could be avoided. His decision was made with Grindlewald's next words.

"I long to see the sky again, Mr. Potter. Should you refuse my offer now, I will not be here if you reconsider in the future."

Some how, some way, Gellert Grindlewald had already secured his escape from this prison. Harry did not know if it was through a physical means, or if it would, morbidly speaking, entail a spiritual escape. In either case, Harry knew instinctually that the man was not lying. He pulled out the elder wand, and handed it to the man. "Do what you need to."

Moments later, Harry's consciousness left him and everything faded to black.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When Harry came to, he honestly expected to be alone in the highest tower of Nurmengard. As he struggled to open his eyes with his splitting headache, he made an attempt to sit up. It was an unwise decision. With just the slightest movement, the pain in his head intensified so much he felt his stomach roll with nausea. It was a level of pain that was easily on par with Emily attempting to force herself into his head. But he'd weathered through it before, and he could do it again.

With a monumental effort Harry brought himself up, and promptly emptied his stomach contents onto the cold floor. Wrenching his eyes open to the dark room, he knew it had to be night. He couldn't tell the amount of time he had left, and he knew he had to get moving. Twisting his torso, he prepared to push himself up with his hands before a strong grip took hold of his shoulder.

"Take is slow, son. The pain will dissipate soon now that you've regain consciousness."

At the sound of Grindlewald's voice, Harry almost collapsed in relief. He may have been in incredible pain, stranded in a foreign country atop an impenetrable fortress, but at least he wasn't alone.

"You're still here?" The three words were a chore, but he felt the need to ask.

"During my brief conversation with Dumbledore, he asked me to look after you. It was why I offered you my gift in the first place."

Harry wanted to contest the man's use of the word brief, the conversation lasted hours, but he wasn't able to do so. It was all he could do to not collapse onto his own vomit. All of a sudden, he found himself being levitated into Grindlewald's bed. It wasn't comfortable by any definition, but it was better than the floor, slightly. The floor did have the perk of being extremely cold which he had found soothing. Cracking his eyes, Harry chanced a small glance at the man who had just levitated him and noticed the man didn't hold a wand.

"Wandless magic? Not surprising."

"Yes, I am actually quite capable with it. Its been the only craft I've had to pass the decades in this room, after all. I couldn't undo Albus's ward, until recently that is, but I can do most anything else."

"You used the wand to undo... ward?"

"Not at all, I dismantled it with wandless magic."

His migraine slowly eased and Harry felt like speaking a bit more coherently.

"Why wait so long then?"

"I didn't know how to undo the ward. Only Albus knew how."

Harry was stumped, but the answer came to him.

"You used the stone to make Dumbledore tell you how to leave?"

Gellert Grindlewald laughed openly. "Not at all, Harry. But Albus has always been weak in his goodness. So quick to give second chances, even to a man such as myself. He and I both know that I have left my ambitions in the past. He saw it fit to release me to find any fraction of peace I could outside of these walls. I do admit to using your wand to make things move a bit easier for me, however." He motioned to the wall of the room, and Harry saw a remarkable replica of Gellert Grindlewald laying against the stone. "A transfiguration with the elder wand is almost permanent, so it will hold up while they dispose of the body."

Harry took a deep breath as the pain finally receded to a level he could handle. "What do you plan on doing now?" Finally sitting up with no adverse effects, he watched the old wizard as he waited for an answer.

"I'm rather tired of the mountains. I think I'll spend the last few years of my life at the shore. Perhaps even somewhere in Britain. It has been a long time since I visited my aunt, I wonder if she still lives."

Harry didn't bother questioning him further. He really had no right. Dumbledore was the man who put Grindlewald here and it seemed Dumbledore was the man who released him. Harry had forgiven Emily of similar grievous crimes, though he was willing to bet Grindlewald's were more numerous. The first lesson he learned embarking on his relationship with Emily was that, as a human being, it was not his place to place damnation on others. Something out there, greater than they, would do it at some point, be it a higher entity or even magic itself.

"Well, I guess I wish you the best. I need to get out of here myself. I've overstayed my welcome, and I'm certain my wife is beside herself with worry."

Grindlewald nodded his head. "I shall escort you out, Mr. Potter. We can part ways at the entrance of the castle."

Harry nodded and rose to his feet. True to Grindlewald's statements his head pains were easing every moment. "Lets go then."

Harry allowed the other man to precede him down the stairs. The man knew the way better than Harry did, after all. "So about the sight I have now..."

The man laughed as he navigated the steps with ease. "I can't tell you how to use the sight Mr. Potter. The sight will come to you. In time you will be able to open the eye on your own. Do not fret over it."

Harry was dismayed to hear that. "Any idea on the time frame?"

The older wizard stopped suddenly and Harry had to grab onto him before he keeled over down the stone steps. The old man supported him surprisingly well considering his condition. "Your _eye _will open for the first time in... fourteen minutes."

Harry steadied himself and looked at Grindlewald. "That's... oddly specific. Will I be able to, ah... _see, _that efficiently when I get control of it?"

Grindlewald smirked before locking his piercing blue eyes onto Harry. "That wasn't my inner eye's prediction, lad. That was... a gut feeling."

Harry could only stare at the man in confusion as the man resumed walking. Harry knew all too well about instinct. He would trust his gut sooner than he'd trust some people he'd known for years, after all. But the way Grindlewald had said it felt mocking, as though the man knew something painfully obvious that Harry did not. Harry wasn't going to pry, regardless. He'd know in thirteen minutes anyway.

Soon enough, the two of them reached the bottom of the stairs and Grindlewald led Harry to the door. Once the two of them passed through it, Harry asked, "Wasn't this thing not supposed to let magical people through?"

"It doesn't allow magical people entrance, but nothing prevents them from leaving. There is a single fireplace that is occasionally connected to the floo network here on the rare instance someone wishes to speak with me. By the way, your cloak would allow you to enter at will. It is impervious to wards, and most other forms of magical detection. It is an incredible magical artifact. Should you ever get the urge to explore Nurmengrad you have my permission to do so. I left many great things in this castle, who knows, maybe you might find something of interest here that was not found and confiscated by the International Confederation of Wizards after my imprisonment."

Stopping to stare at Harry, Grindlewald bowed his head. "Mr. Potter, it was a wonderful pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am happy to have been of assistance to you, and I will be ever grateful for the things you have given me." Not bothering to let Harry reply, with a quick turn, Harry watched as the second most powerful Dark Lord disapparated in front of his eyes.

"HARRY POTTER!"

Harry cringed. He was in for it now. The voice sounded far off and strained, so he knew the person was sprinting as fast as they could to reach him. Probably why Grindlewald had made a hasty exit.

"YOU HAD ONE JOB, HARRY POTTER! ONE JOB! DO NOT LET HIM GET OUT OF THAT TOWER!"

Harry sheepishly turned around to face his approaching wife. She was livid. The very air around her crackled with her overwhelming magic that she didn't bother controlling in her anger. She stomped right up to him and placed her face only a scant few inches from his own. Seething, she whispered quietly, "What have you done?"

He wanted to open his mouth and immediately reply with, "It wasn't me." He couldn't however. He found that his entire body was frozen. In front of him was his wife, but it wasn't just his wife now. He could see so much more than just Emily Potter's present. The first glimpse was of her pregnancy, seeing her midriff expanded with a child. Next he saw her with a swaddled bundle in her arms, smiling lovingly at her baby. He saw her standing with him, or was it him. The man's image was too murky to discern. He saw her in a beautiful red dress. Perhaps most distressing of all, he saw Emily on her knees, tears sliding down here face as she looked to the sky. As though she had lost everything. Each of these images were laid over top of each other, superimposing their existence onto her, and then, he blinked.

All of a sudden, Emily was staring at him, waiting for an answer and Harry wondered if he'd just experienced the most vivid hallucination of his life. Stumbling over his words, he answered her. "I didn't do it."

"Oh, so he just followed you as you left, is that it? Harry, you just let Gellert Grindlewald out of Nurmengrad. What on earth were you thinking?"

Harry shook his head, trying to explain himself. "It really wasn't me, Emily. It was Dumbledore, he was the one who let him out."

Emily's lips tightened and Harry could only wonder what was going through her mind. He was shocked when she turned about and only said, "Let's go home."

Harry couldn't fathom a single reason why Emily was willing to accept such a wild explanation and he certainly voiced his concern. "Are you really not going to ask anything to what I just said?"

Emily shrugged. "I've spent two years trying to get you to force that man to take responsibility for what he's done and you have refused me. God forbid I rebuke you the first time you blame something on him, no matter how insane it sounds. I'm still taking you to St. Mungo's for a full check up though. Cleary that man addled your brains while you were up there, and your head is already in a precarious place as it is."

Harry had been expecting so much more than that simple answer, and he couldn't help but laugh. Emily would never change, and in all honesty, he didn't want her to. "Fine, on our way to St. Mungo's. Were you waiting out here for me this entire time?"

Emily scoffed at his question. "What kind of loving wife would I be, if I abandoned my husband in a different country, thousands of kilometers away, with the most dangerous force to him on the planet?"

"Emily... I consistently have sex with the most dangerous force on the planet. You've never protected me then."

"To you. Dangerous force to you. I have no intention of ever harming a hair on your head, even the ones I occasionally pull out. But Grindlewald may have other ideas. And I have always used protection when we've had sex, regardless of your awareness of it."

The joke made him snort. An hour later, Harry waited patiently as the healer looked over his head slowly. "It's certainly a mess up there. Good thing you decided to bring him in to us, Mrs. Potter. We can get to work on fixing some of the damage, but most of his recovery will just take time."

With a groan, Emily asked, "What was the spell that was used on him?"

"Hmm, seems like a pretty powerful memory charm, almost sixteen months ago."

"Ugh, I am already aware of that damage, Healer Smethwyck. I want to know of any _recent_ magic in his head."

The healer nodded in understanding. "That is actually the most recent intrusive magical spell he has taken. He's had a cheering charm here or there. And there is some rather questionable traces of dark magic that seem to induce a rather severe sense of depression, but nothing that directly attacks the brain itself."

Emily inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. That was good to an extent. But that meant that Harry had been either telling her the truth and Dumbledore could speak from beyond the gr-. The resurrection stone. Turning to Harry, she asked him directly.

"Did you let him use that _stupid_ rock?"

Harry looked sheepish. "Yeah."

Emily put a hand over her eyes and felt like crying. She knew that stone was going to cause her problems. "Please tell me that whatever he offered you was worth it."

"I, er, actually let him use it for free. He and I had a pretty long talk, and I felt bad for him. I figured it would help him find peace."

"Well, you certainly help him find one kind of _freedom_. You are a man of many talents."

Harry wasn't certain why, but he felt as though he needed to keep his new found skill at divination a secret. At the very least until he understood more about it. Emily, he knew, would obsess over it. She was a sucker for such things, Trelawney's prophecy being more than enough proof for him.

Emily looked back to the healer, who seemed quite lost at overhearing their conversation. "I want whatever treatment you have available for his botched memory charm. If you could also arrange me an appointment with a specialist in the area, I would like to speak with them as well." Emily rattled on a bit more, determined to find Harry the best help now that she knew that some help was available, promising to be back in the morning to retrieve what they prepared. At the time of his previous diagnosis, Bellatrix had told her that there was little that could be done to help him other than time and rest. While Bellatrix knew her stuff in regards to healing, she was not a healer, so anything innovative or new in the field would have been beyond her scope of knowledge.

Once Emily got Harry back to their home, she sat him down and pressed him for every detail he could provide on his talk with Gellert Grindlewald. Harry told her a story that nearly made her sick to her stomach. She, too, realized the parallels between herself and Harry and the two men of a different time. The very thought of it chilled her, thinking how her fate could end even still.

"Tell me, Harry. If I left you like Gellert did, but crawled back to you, would you have taken me back?"

Harry nodded, "Obviously. There's really no comparison to be made among us versus the two of them when you think about it. Dumbledore and Grindlewald were too selfless compared to us. They were willing to make sacrifices for the greater good, after all, including each other. But you Emily, you're too greedy. You're not willing to sacrifice me for anything. You're not only capable of having me and creating the future you desire, you're the only who's willing to rewrite the stars just to make certain it happens."

"But surely you fall into that camp of theirs? How often you tell me that you would oppose me to protect others, does that not mean you'd discard me?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm nothing like you, Grindlewald or Dumbledore. I'm not a revolutionary, Emily. I can't change the world through my own means. Perhaps with the assistance of others I'd have a shot, but I couldn't do it with my own vision. As far my own selfishness, you can't possibly think that I'd ever discard you, do you?"

Emily sat at the head of the bed with her legs crossed as she listened to her husband speak. Harry was seated on a linens chest at the foot of the bed. "You know, I've already got my plan picked out on what I'd do if I had to defeat you. I decided I'd tear your soul from your body and put you in a form you couldn't harm people in. I'd wait out the years, before I put you back into your body. Enough time that there wasn't anyone left for you to hurt. Then I'd spend the rest of eternity making it up to you."

"Thats... morbidly romantic, I suppose. You'd wait until, what, the human race was extinct?"

Harry laughed at her, "Hopefully not, just until whatever or whoever made you snap ceased being a problem. Anyway the point, Emily, is that neither you or I are willing to let go of the other. We made our choice a long time ago on which ship we would go down with. Grindlewald and Dumbledore, similar to us they may have been, they aren't us. They couldn't make the choices that we do. Their story... was never meant to have a happy ending. But ours," At this Harry got up and approached her on the bed. With a light kiss to her cheek, he finished, "you don't intend on having it end any other way."

Harry watched Emily's eyes close. She loved romantic comments like that. Even more so when she knew he believed in them. "Or if I even allow it to end at all. Have I ever told you what you do to me, Harry Potter?"

"Yes, constantly. Actually, long before it was appropriate for you to do so even."

"Oh? Because you were only fifteen?"

Harry softly laughed. "Umm, no, Emily. You just told me way too early. It was creepy at first, well... now that I think about it, you were just really creepy back then. Obsessive."

Emily, who had been moments from kissing him pulled back. "Wait, what do you mean creepy? I was incredibly romantic at the beginning of our relationship. I wasn't creepy in the slightest."

Harry wondered if this was a conversation he wanted to have, before deciding to just go for it. At the very least it might bring her some perspective. "Emily, probably every single person I know, other than you, would agree that your single-minded obsession with me was excessive."

"Of course it was. Harry, that's the kind of love you and I share. It's an all consuming inferno, it's why we will never part, as you said. Anyway, there were many obstacles preventing us from being together at the start. Many of my own making, honestly, but if it were not for my persistence and refusal to take no for an answer from you, then we'd never have what we do now."

"So, you don't see anything wrong with how our relationship developed? A sixty year old woman pursuing a teenager? Stalking me in my neighborhood. How about when you lured me to your home? Or when you pretended to be my teacher for an entire school term?"

Emily scoffed. "You are obviously twisting the events to fit your narrative. Clearly, I am rubbing off on you. Age is irrelevant when two people share a bond like the one we do. As for stalking you and luring you to my home, I was incredibly horny and wanted sex. That was before I had an interest in falling in love with you. The last part I feel is proof of how much I love you. I placed myself under the employ of a person I loathed just to be near you."

"Yes, all while I was unaware."

"I told you soon enough."

"To extort me for sex."

Emily shrugged her shoulders, as though this was a non-issue. "You were a teenager, Harry. Of course I thought the best way to your heart would be your dick. Its not my fault you were a strange young fellow. You still are, though I've grown to appreciate your... odd nature."

Harry was completely out of things to say at this point. This was some masterful deflection and denial. Giving a sigh, he decided that there was really no point. Emily could never understand a regular person's outlook on something. She was not, nor would she ever be, a regular person. Taking a seat on the bed beside her, he decided to goad her a bit.

"In any case, I suppose I'm happy, having married my stalker."

Emily rolled her eyes. "Please refrain from calling me that while others can hear. The last thing I want people to think is that I am some pathetic boy-who-lived groupie. Or even worse, to be compared to one of your simple minded school mates."

"True enough. You are the probably the only person alive who could love me solely in spite of my being the boy-who-lived, rather than partly for it."

"Depends on your definition. But I will admit that I am rather pleased you tend to survive deadly scenarios. Its worked out well for us. Now, how long ago did Voldemort visit Grindlewald?"

"It was about a week ago. He isn't certain, not really bothering to keep track of time."

Emily nodded. "She probably couldn't be away from Bellatrix for long, considering her condition. That would explain the delay. And she won't have been able to run off to grab the heart immediately after either."

"How do you know?"

"I've spoken to healers and law enforcement about the Dark Lord's 'follower'. The MLE said that she'd ditch Bella, but the healer shared with me how she might keep her alive if she was certain to do so. Temporarily using the hearts of other muggles and magical beasts would work for a few hours at best, but also damage the body. But Voldemort would have had to wait until Bella's body had healed before leaving her alone after the transplant. An almost complete recovery from having your organs turned into paste. She probably experimented heavily before thinking of going to Grindlewald, as well. He was her last option."

Harry nodded, following along well enough. "So what about unicorn habitats? Obviously there's the one near Hogwarts, where else would she go?"

"Unicorns are almost universally rare, Harry. The only habitat in Britain is the one in the Forbidden Forest. The only country you might see a unicorn at any time is North Korea."

This news sat strangely with Harry for some odd reason. He'd never heard it before. "Why is that?"

"I personally do not know, though there are reports that the ruling family in that area has a special connection to them. In any case, even the muggles know about the unicorns there, though its a government secret."

"Huh, wow. The things I can still learn. So, what are we going to do about Voldmort and Bellatrix and our eventual unicorn kidnapping?"

Emily steepled her fingers, adjusting herself on the bed so she could lay down. "The forest is massive and the unicorns have free reign. There is no feasible way we can find out when she starts hunting there. Unicorns are hard to hunt Harry, it took Quirrel months just to kill two, after all."

"So the lead we have is useless?"

"No, we'll just have to recruit. Or rather, you will."

"Say no more." Harry got off of the bed and made to leave the room.

"Wow, you picked up on that one fast."

"Well, Hagrid doesn't really dislike you, per se. But he's obviously the best man for the job when it comes to the forest. Him being my first real friend, well, how could I not see what you were getting at. I'll let him know Voldemort will be trying to hunt unicorns and to keep an eye on things as well as he can. Maybe he can get the acromantulas on it or something. I know the centaurs will help, solely to keep poachers out of the forest."

Emily sat up to smil at him. "Already solving our problems. Just make sure he knows to tell either you or myself immediately. I know he might worry about you facing her, so feel free to direct him my way if you think it will help."

Harry nodded. "Don't worry, Emily. Hagrid was Dumbledore's right hand man. He might worry, but he'll trust me. I get the feeling Dumbledore asked a lot of people to do that before he passed away."

Emily sent Harry off with a smile on her face, but as soon as he was gone, she followed suit. There was absolutely no way she'd allow Gellert Grindlewald to remain on the loose without some kind of watchful eye on him. He had departed only a couple hours ago from Austria, and she knew without a doubt where he'd go.

It took Emily twenty minutes to arrive at Godric's Hollow. Once she arrived at the cemetary, she started looking for the man in question. He was standing precisely where she thought he'd be.

She approached him openly, not bothering to hide herself. He'd know either way. Coming to a halt beside him, she glared at the grave.

Albus Dumbledore's

August 25th 1881 - June 30th 1997

To the well-organized mind,

Death is but the next great adventure.

"I was wondering if you were going to meet me here or not."

Emily snorted. "As if I'd be okay allowing you to roam unchecked. I will be assigning you a house elf from the Malfoy family. The elf will assist you with any needs you have, but will report to me everyday. Should you begin to behave inappropriately, you will be dealt with, am I clear?"

The old man gave a dry laugh. "Would it not be easier for you to simply kill me now? Why take the risk to allow me any kind of freedom? Surely you don't think I can stop you. Even I know better than that."

Emily gave him a side long glance. "Harry is certain you are of no harm to anyone. The bastard that lies here would preach to anyone who would listen to trust my husband. It was possibly one of the only sentences that left his mouth that I agree with wholeheartedly. It is only by the grace of Harry Potter that you breathe, don't make me regret my decision." Having stated her terms and sharing her piece, Emily made to leave.

"He won't survive, you know."

Emily stopped dead, she didn't turn, but she was listening with every fiber of her being.

"He's not strong enough. He's lacking. By allowing him to follow you, you lead him to his demise."

Emily waited, and when no more seemed forthcoming, she continued on her way, noticing the barest hint of dawn on the horizon. She did not do so quietly, however. Speaking loudly enough for him to hear, "He doesn't need to be strong. I have enough power for the both of us." With a fervent desire to never see the face of Gellert Grindlewald again, she turned on her heel and vanished.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Two weeks past with no news. Harry was certain that they had missed the opportunity, but Emily assured him that if a unicorn had been taken in the forbidden forest, they'd, at the very least, know of the act.

"What if she found a different location?"

"Not possible, Harry. She wouldn't risk long distance transportation with a fresh organ. The potential for deterioration is too high with apparition, getting exposed to the magical flame of floo powder would be too damaging, and a portkey moves too violently. No, she is certain to hunt here."

Harry was pacing restlessly, and Emily couldn't comprehend why. He had no reason to be so strung up by the current circumstances, all they had to do was remain patient and wait.

"What if she just abandons Bellatrix then? What if she is alone?"

"Not possible."

Harry stopped. "How can you be sure? She isn't you, Emily. She is capable of throwing others away."

Emily nodded in agreement with him. "And I am not? She is not me, to be certain, because I am able to toss people to the wayside. She however, is a cheap imitation that has grown apart from who I am."

"Simplify what you're trying to say to me here, Emily. I understand what you're saying, but I am not getting the point."

"She lacks my weakness, the power that you have in spades. Though I overcame that weakness in a single case, she won't burdened with it at all. As her body and soul formed, she matched the person I was at that current time, a being capable of love. Therefore, she is capable of receiving and reciprocating love. Its a bond I am completely certain she has formed with Bella, even if she is unaware."

Harry sat down on the chair behind him. The two were seated in the dining room, having just finished supper. Evening was fading into night and the last rays of dwindling amber light shone through the window. The rays illuminated half of Harry's face and Emily was tempted to turn on the light for a more proper conversation, but enjoyed the unique view of Harry too much to ruin it.

"I'm not sure I follow your reasoning, but whatever. So, she won't abandon her. I can't really make any good comparison, but if it were me, I would be chewing at the bit to help you, Emily. So how can Voldemort be so patient?"

Emily shrugged, uncertain herself. She too would have plowed her way through any potential obstacles in order to fix Harry. She agreed that Voldemort almost passive approach did seem to go against her theory, but she was certain nonetheless. Despite the differences, Voldemort was her horcrux, and somethings from Emily would be retained by her. If the original had learned to love, or been forced to feel it through a soul bond, then she was certain that her other self would mold to match. And Voldemort had no one, save Bellatrix.

Choosing to ignore the question she had no answer to, she continued her lecture on souls. "You're understanding of soul magic is simply lacking. Souls hold incredible power and are oh so very fragile. They imprint easily and are flimsy enough to tear apart outside of their mortal coil. Its a thing I have poured countless hours of research into."

"How on earth do you know anything about a soul once its left the body? Doesn't a soul move on at that point?"

"Of course, unless its trapped."

Harry stared at her, thinking hard, trying to recall what she might be talking about. "You... in the past you said you did some really questionable experiments with dementors. Is that what your talking about?"

Emily nodded, impressed that he remembered that detail. She hadn't gone out of her way to go to an in depth description of her cooperation with dementors. It was certain, however, that the dementors had furthered her research by leaps and bounds, offering her the emaciated dregs of souls that they had consumed for her promise to free them from the shackles of Azkaban. She was possibly the only human being living today that had directly manipulated a soul outside of a body. After all, Dementors didn't share their food freely.

"Surprising that you remembered that. I don't recall writing more than a few sentences about the subject in our correspondence over that Christmas break. There were several things I didn't branch into deeply because of their abhorrent nature."

"I read your words so many times those two weeks that I am certain I remember everything. And I'm not shocked to hear you withheld some of the more distressing bits. What was the point of your experiments?"

"I wished to see if a dementor could consume my horcrux. After all, would that not be perfect? To store a part of my soul inside an amortal being? Then it could never be destroyed."

Harry's eyes widened, clearly he had not thought of that. "I assume you never got past the hypothetical?"

Emily shook her head, "Oh no, I got far beyond just the hypothetical. I was knee deep in practical attempts before I realized it wasn't possible. The soul fragments weren't strong enough, breaking apart inside of the dementor over time. Only a fully formed soul can survive instrumentality."

Harry nodded, all this made sense, but he didn't understand her last word. "Instrumentality?"

"Yes, human instrumentality. Its a subject that is studied somewhere in the department of mysteries. I am not certain as to how they study it, or even how they have their knowledge, but the basic premise of instrumentality is as follows: Souls without individuality will merge into one primordial being without a will of its own. It exists for the soul purpose of existing." Emily could feel the confusion coming from the boy, and decided to make it simple. "Souls that do not move onto another plane, will eventually break down and cease to exist as a person. The pieces converge on a certain unknown point and simply remain."

"Uh huh, I get the gist of it, even if I don't understand the mechanics."

Emily smirked at him. "I'd be happy to give you a lecture on id, ego and super-ego and how individuality manifests itself as the human soul. Sigmund Freud was the first wizard to ever dissect a human soul, though many dispute that he was a hack who spoke a bunch of nonsense."

Harry shook his head. "No, I'm good. Psychology never interested me."

"Oh, so you've heard the name? Impressive."

"He was popular with muggles. I only know that its related to psychology, though, not much else."

"Yes, he was shunned enough in the wizarding world that he went to the muggle world and shared his findings there. I hear he abandoned magic altogether later in life, choosing to live as a muggle. He died believing there were no inherent differences between the minds of magicals and muggles. Brutally mistaken he ended up being at the end of his time, but his early work was rather brilliant."

Harry scoffed, knowing that he shouldn't even bother trying to challenge her belief. "So, back to Voldemort."

"Yes, I suppose we did go off on a tangent." Emily didn't get any further as the two heard a voice calling from the fireplace.

"Mr. Potter!" The voice was so familiar to Harry he almost flinched at the stern tone. Rushing to the fireplace, he greeted his old head of house. Emily arrived behind him only a moment later.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall, what can we do for you tonight?"

The newly appointed head of Hogwarts pursed her lips. "I'm not certain as to what trouble you've been involving yourself outside the walls of Hogwarts Mr. Potter, but Rubeus asked me to pass along a rather vague message to you. He said it was rather urgent, so I apologize for contacting the two of you so late. Despite the urgency, I fear the message was vague. _'It's happened'. _I assume you will know what it means."

Harry nodded, "Yes, professor, thank you for passing it along. My wife and I appreciate it."

McGonagall looked at him shrewdly. "Mr. Potter, though you are now a fully qualified wizard, I am going to have to insist that you not bring any mischief to my school. I found you to be a relatively enjoyable student, but you did have a penchant for danger and trouble, and to be honest, I have been able to breathe easier this year than any of the other past six years."

"We won't be making trouble, just taking care of the trouble that's already about. Just a poacher in the forest that Emily has been trying to track down."

This statement did little to soothe the older woman's features. "First You-know-who and now poachers. Your wife has her own odd tendencies I see, and they seem to run as parallel to danger that yours do."

Harry couldn't help but show a slight smile. "Come on, professor. You know I never went looking for trouble, it always found me."

"A matter of perspective, I suppose. You may not understand now, Potter, you are still young, but you tend to meddle. You have the best intentions, of course, but that doesn't change the outcome of your actions. After all, your break-in of the ministry in your fifth year, and subsequent time on the run was a clear result of that."

The conversation veered far closer to the subject that should have been obscured by the forgetfulness potion. Though Harry knew Emily would rather Harry not poke at the metaphorical bear, Harry was curious as to what story McGonagall had in her head about what happened two years ago.

"Yeah, thankfully I had Emily with me, so things didn't turn out too bad." Harry controlled the sudden contortion of his face as Emily sharply pinched his backside. The words were already out, though and Harry waited with baited breath to her his professor's response.

"Yes, well, perhaps had Mrs. Potter not convinced you to break into the department of mysteries in the first place, then maybe you'd have attended Hogwarts the following year."

Emily gave a shy smile, inserting herself into the conversation, attempting to close it. "Yes, I admit I may not have been thinking too clearly at that time. I do apologize, my actions must have made things difficult. I-"

McGonagall cut her off. "Oh, please Mrs. Potter, I have no interest in hearing your excuses. You didn't bludgeon my head that badly that night. As a teacher, you should not have been fooling around with a student, especially one so much younger than yourself." Her tones were clipped as she dressed down Emily. Emily, not wanted to continue the conversation listened without saying a thing, hoping as soon as the woman finished, she'd let the topic die.

"I wish Albus had never spoken to you about that bloody prophecy. As bad as the situation was, with a teacher having liasons with a student, the two of you running off on your own only compounded things. Thank goodness Albus blamed the entire thing on You-know-who." At this McGonagall trailed off, looking pensive. Clearly, she had stumbled upon an inconsistency in her memory caused by the potion. Something that didn't align with what she knew.

"Yes, the late headmaster was quite wise. I was distraught to hear his passing. You must have taken the news hard?" Emily forced the woman's mind off of the dangerous topic and McGonagall followed too easily.

"Yes, his loss affected us hard."

The conversation flowed for a couple short minutes before the headmistress bid the farewell. As soon as the emerald flames faded Emily latched two fingers onto Harry's ear in a vice grip as she pulled him to his feet, with him yelping in pain.

"Owowowow, Emily, let go. Ouch!"

"Your professor is right, you know. You meddle, and you don't care about the consequences of it."

Rubbing his ear gingerly after she released it, he shrugged. "I care. But come on, you can't tell me you weren't curious as to how the facts lie in their heads."

"No, Harry, I'm not curious, as long as they don't remember what I don't want them to remember, then its all right with me."

"It's not like the can reason it out without the counter potion, anyway."

"Exactly, and I'd like for them to not be curious enough about the inconsistencies to chug one on the off chance that it may show results."

"Yeah right, like anyone would do that unless they are certain. The side effects of the counter potion are miserable if you never had forgetfulness potion in the first place. Only one person in Britain is that paranoid and you already missed out on dosing him up anyway."

Emily wanted to deny his point, but he was right. The potion was a nightmare if you didn't actually have an appropriate use for it. Two week of nausea and the worst memories you've ever experienced played back over and over. The memories the brain naturally tries to repress get pulled to the surface over and over until the potion has run its course. Some people assumed that the nausea wasn't even a side effect of the potion, rather it was a physiological response of the mental trauma you experience. Only Mad-Eye Moody was crazy enough to do that on the off chance he'd been slipped a potion.

"Just refrain from doing that in the future. It makes me uncomfortable."

Harry nodded and she let the subject drop, instructing him to get ready, they were moving out immediately.

* * *

Harry watched as his breath turned to fog as it left his body. It was a cold evening, and he already was missing the warmth of Hagrid's hut.

"You know, Rubeus, you don't have to come with us. We can certainly handle her on our own."

When the two of them arrive to Hagrid's hut, they found the man ready to set out with them, Fang and crossbow in tow. "I may be a professor now, but I still am the Keeper of Keys and Grounds here at Hogwarts. If there's something out in the forest, them I'm going to help deal with it."

When it was clear that Emily's dissuasion wasn't going to work she let the matter go. Harry knew it was because she wanted to interact with Hagrid as little as possible. Hagrid was one of the few people alive who knew the name of Emily Riddle, though she didn't know if he was aware just who Emily Riddle was. It didn't change the fact that her appearance now was not too different from her appearance when she was fifteen.

Harry spoke to Hagrid as they entered the forest. "So where are we headed?"

"Centaurs. Bane's the one who noticed the presence in the forest. Sent Magorian to let me know."

"I remember Bane, he was unpleasant. Who's Magorian?"

"Just another ruddy stargazer, Harry. They spend more of their time looking upwards than forwards. But Magorian feels the same way Bane does about our kind, Harry, so don't go speaking too much to him. They don't really like talking to me much, but they respect my job, looking after the forest and such. They'll let the two of you through, because of who we are trying to track, but should the two of you come back another time, they won't be happy."

Harry nodded. "We don't plan on making any excursions into the forest after tonight." The three of them continued on for another few minutes before meeting up with what Harry could only describe as a centaur hunting party. Almost twenty tall centaurs stood in a small clearing watching their approach. One, Harry recognized fondly.

"Hello, Firenze." Harry spoke first, happy to see the one centaur he knew held no distaste for human beings.

"Hello Harry. Thank you for the warning you provided us with about this threat. Had we not been wary, we may not have noticed her appearance." Firenze was amicable enough, but several other centaurs snorted snidely at his words. "Bane spied the unicorn fleeing its pursuer about an hour ago to the northwest. We plan on heading to their last location at full speed. We'll herd the unicorn and the abomination back this way, where the three of your will engage. We'll hopefully arrive shortly after and be able to pin down the threat."

Hagrid nodded. "Sounds like a plan then. These two will be doing the majority of the work, I'll be in the back taking potshots with this beauty." He patted the crossbow affectionately. "If you lot catch up behind You-know-who, make sure not to shoot these two. Once we've taken her out, we'll leave the rest of it to you."

Firenze nodded and all at once, the centaurs galloped off. Hagrid turned to the two of them. "Okay you two, listen up. The centaurs are going to run the unicorn straight through this clearing. If we're lucky, You-know-who is already skewered with arrows at this point, if we're not, then she won't be far behind. Don' let her leave the clearing. If she makes it to the trees, she's sure to be able to slip off. I'll do my best to help you both, but I'm not good with a wand, and this crossbow takes a few seconds to reload."

"Not to worry, Hagrid, I've already placed an anti-apparition jinx on the area. I will lay a ward that will render portkey charms ineffective and lay a couple of traps about. Goal one is to ensure the unicorn is safe. Once its through we'll box her in and take her out. She won't be willing to leave without the unicorn, so if we can slow her long enough, she'll be forced to fight her way through rather than trying to slip past."

Hagrid nodded and made his way to the tree line. Emily rolled her shoulders and Harry knew his wife was tense. "What's wrong?"

"I don't like our positioning. Unicorns move through trees like water flowing in a river. If the unicorn is forced to move through this clearing and Voldemort is close enough, she'll have her first clean shot at it. I don't like our odds of taking her out if all she has to do is grab the body and run."

Harry didn't agree. "Then all we need to do is stay between the body and her, and that all hinges on if she even hits the unicorn. As soon as it passes I'll try to get between it and her so I can block any spells behind it."

"A good idea, if the unicorn wouldn't be repelled by you. I don't even think your cloak would hide you from a unicorn's inherent ability to sense impurity. It would instinctually move away from you. Possibly a good way to force it to dodge a curse though, so be quick on your feet. Shame we didn't bring your broom, it would have been useful in this clearing."

"Well, we didn't expect to be in an open area. Either way, we'll take her out, so don't be worried." The two waited for another twenty minutes before they heard the sound of hooves. Either the unicorn or the centaur, and they prepped for both. Harry had asked Emily if he should wear the cloak, but she told him not to bother. Voldemort would know one of them was close if she saw the other, and they wanted to make distance between her and her target here. Two visible targets would make her slow more than a single one.

"Emily! Get out of the clearing!" Harry suddenly yelled at her, and without a moment's hesitation Emily flew up at Harry's warning. She didn't question the order for even a moment, somehow knowing that whatever he knew, it was of dire importance. Emily shot almost twenty meters into the air and saw Harry's form almost to the treeline when the unicorn made its appearance. As soon as it did, the entire clearing erupted. Thick roots from countless trees in the forest had somehow made their way to the seemingly empty plain, and writhed about. The unicorn, to its credit, weaved in and out of the entanglement for half the length of the clearing before getting caught and soon after brought to the ground.

"Avada Kedavra!"

The bright green spell shot straight towards Harry, who was freeing himself from the trap he hadn't quite escaped from. Emily panicked and rocketed down towards him. She needn't have bothered, however, as Harry sent a blasting charm at the base of a thick root which caused it to fly up and intercept the curse. Knowing that Harry was capable of getting himself out of his predicament, Emily refocused on the unicorn, only to see Voldemort already next to the creature.

"Incarcerus!" Ropes violently sprang forth and ensnared her target quickly, only for the robe to fall to the ground as if Voldemort had just performed a cheap disappearing act. Emily made her way to the unicorn to see that it was already dead, but it hadn't been cut open yet. She still had the upper hand.

"Come out, come out wherever you are. You only have minutes before the heart is useless to you, Voldemort. There is no point in hiding."

"Bombarda." Emily threw a shield in front of the charm, but it had not been aimed at her. The charm instead hit a tree root beside her and the resulting explosion flung her back into the air. Annoyed, but unharmed, Emily righted herself, took control of her movement and once again focused on the dead beast. No one was there and she turned to find Harry, seeing him approaching her through the air on a makeshift broom stick. She smiled, happy that she'd thought to show him how to make one.

"Well seeing as its already dead, I couldn't care less about the carcass." With a flick of her wand, Emily set the roots ablaze with fiendfyre, knowing the dark magic next to the unicorn would force Voldemort out in the open. As the flames ran rampant, Emily saw Voldemort rush out of a shadow, making a beeline for the smoking carcass. Emily aimed her wand, already smirking at the simplicity of how things would end before a force slammed into her, causing her magic to fail and herself to fall.

She didn't fall down however, her momentum instead moving west, and she found herself wrapped in her husband's arms. "Damn it, Harry. I was about to kill her, what were you thinking!"

"Sorry." His voice was so soft Emily could barely hear him over the raging inferno. She stared at him closely and when his eyes closed and his body tried to slide of the broom, she realized something was not right. Grabbing him in a firm hold, she began to maneuver the flying contraption to the ground. Gripping him, she saw the reason for his condition. Sticking out of his back was an ebony arrow. Emily pulled back on the dark flames, allowing them to extinguish, knowing that Voldemort was already gone. But Voldemort was the last thing on her mind right now. Emily was already preparing to murder an entire herd of centaurs.

Landing onto the scorched earth, Emily put all of her focus on Harry. She pulled out the arrow and began mending the wound. Thankfully the centaurs were simple hunters and the arrow wasn't poisoned. Hagrid arrived when she was finishing up and when he saw the arrow, he exploded.

"You ruddy bastards!" She could only assume that it was his massive frame, but his roar was deafening. "Which one of you tossers shot Harry? I'll wring your bleeding neck right here!" Emily was almost shocked. She'd known Hagrid to be incredibly gentle with creatures, far more than humans, and yet here he was, just as ready to commit a murder as she was. She didn't know the man had it in him, and she felt a small sliver of respect forming in her heart for the man. Though it probably had more to do with his defense of Harry than his indignation.

Bane stepped forth from the forest, with his head held high and with a proud voice said, "It was my arrow that hit him, Hagrid." Other centaurs slowly followed him from the forest and they all still held their bows in their hands.

Hagrid swung his crossbow quickly to aim at the centaur. In return most of the other centaurs raised their bows to Hagrid. Emily wanted to snort, unless the arrows found an eye, she doubted they do more than poke through the half-giants skin. What little of Hagrid's face that could be seen through his facial hair was beet red and his voice shoot with anger. "And what did you think was going to stop me from returning the favor, Bane?"

Bane's voice turned snide. "It isn't my fault the boy intercepted the arrow. I was aiming for her."

Emily gut twisted. That had been why Harry had slammed into her. He'd taken the arrow for her. "And why, pray tell, did you fire at me?" Her anger was mixing with a sickening nausea and she couldn't fathom a single future in which she'd be allowing this mongrel to leave her sight alive.

"We allowed you into our forest to stop a threat. You then chose to set our forest, our home, on fire. You became a far worse threat than the Dark Lord. I acted to protect our home. You humans are wretched. You give no thought to what you destroy. And now the man you love has paid the price for your actions."

Emily sneered. "Yes, there is always a price to pay, isn't there. But what you seem to fail to understand is that Harry will survive paying my price. Your entire herd, however, will not survive paying yours." With that Emily's wand lashed out and in seconds half of the centaurs were on the ground. All of her spells had been non-lethal as she planned to make them suffer cruelly before killing them. She didn't get much further before she found herself lifted into the air, restrained by the last person she expected to stop her.

"Let me go, Rebeus. I'm not done with them."

Her body, though far stronger than a human, was unable to break free from him. He'd wrapped her up in a bear hug and didn't let her move an inch. "You lot best scamper off, I'm of half a mind to let her continue." Lowering his voice he spoke to her. "Now come down Emily. I know your livid, and so am I, but like you said, Harry's gonna be fine. No need to go wiping out whole herds of centaurs for what amounts to a scratch for a wizard."

Emily seethed. Of course his spine dissolved as soon as he knew Harry was fine. Would it kill the man to hold a damn grudge? "Don't you get it, Hagrid? They cost us our chance at killing Voldemort." Emily's entire body shook at the man's flinch ran through him at the sound of the name. "Now she's going to be stronger than ever and its all because these fools gave her the chance."

"Don't worry too much about You-know-who, Emily. Harry'll take care of her eventually, Dumbledore said it himself."

Emily paused in her thrashing, curious as to what Hagrid knew. She had always wondered if the potion had worked on Rubeus, he'd seemed to resist it the night of their wedding. "Tell me, Hagrid, how do you feel about Harry's and my relationship? Minerva certainly wasn't thrilled."

"Yeah well, she's clearly forgot some things. Everyone has, really."

Shit, he knew. Why hadn't he said anything? Did he oppose her? Or did he still stand beside Harry? She couldn't fathom a scenario where Hagrid wouldn't despise her for what she had done to him in the past.

"They forgot how unhappy Harry always was. Of course, he was well enough here at Hogwarts. He was happy with Ron and Hermione. They took good care of him. But Harry's never been able to just be a lad. He's always been the 'Boy Who Lived' or 'The Chosen One', whatever codswallop the ran through the Prophet that week. And too many people here have treated him differently because of that. Placed expectations on him or judged him. Now I'm not saying I approve of the age difference nor of the circumstances you two found each other, but I've seen Harry finally just be a normal bloke with you. He's needed that. He's wanted that. And you're the one who gave it to him."

Emily felt the last vestiges of anger fade from her. He didn't know who she was, but he certainly did know who Harry was. Perhaps, she had been wrong two years ago. Clearly, other people had seen the holes Harry had in his heart. It had not been only her. She had just been the only one who knew how to fill them. At the very least, Hagrid knew of Harry's pain, and was happy enough to see it end, despite how that end came about.

"Lets get him to your hut, Rubeus. He'll be out for a bit, and a blood replenishing potion from the hospital wing would speed along his recovery."

Hagrid nodded and before Emily could pick Harry up, Hagrid already had the young man in his arms. "Follow me then, Emily. The grounds are this way." Ambling off, Hagrid began to make his way to Hogwarts. Half an hour later saw the three of them in Hagrid's home. Emily was helping Harry swallow the last bit of potion in his unconscious state, while Hagrid busied himself with the kettle to make tea.

When Emily joined Hagrid at his table she took a moment to study the half-giant. In truth, she'd never thought much of him, assuming him to be and idiot half-breed who had a queer attraction to dangerous beasts. Now however, she had to forcibly forgo that impression. "Hagrid, I don't believe we spoke much during my tenure here at Hogwarts, correct."

Hagrid guffawed. "I always was under the impression you didn't like me too much. Not that I held it against you much. Ever since Harry's fourth year when it got around that I was half-giant, there's been a bit of prejudice. A year never went by without some parent owling Dumbledore to sack me. You didn't go out of your way to insult me, so if you were respectful enough to keep your distance, I wasn't going to go out of my way to impose myself on you."

"I won't deny I had some slight prejudice feelings in the past, but in all honesty I interacted with you just as much as the other staff. I am rather reclusive by nature."

Hagrid hummed. "I figured it wasn't too much. Once my probationary period was over, and you told me I had gotten my class back on track, I knew you couldn't be too biased. Otherwise, I'd have been out the castle doors regardless."

Emily nodded. "I will admit that I cut you slightly more slack than I did with Sybill. Harry was rather upset that I had placed you on probation. I remember the afternoon quite well. He tried very hard to pick a fight with me about it. I remained objective about it and told him to ask his friend Hermione about the fifth year syllabus and yearly exams. He let the issue drop once I promised to lay off of you if you followed the course work."

"The first few years were tough." Hagrid said with a laugh. "I just wanted to show everyone all the incredible magical creatures I could. I went a little overboard on the first year, and the majority of the second was taken up by the Triwizard Tournament's pet project. Those critters ended up killing each other off though, which was a shame. They were incredible. The third year was when things started settling down and thanks to you, I remember that the kids had yearly exams they needed to be prepared for."

Emily laughed as well. "I should have been more understanding of your situation. Teaching is not without its own burdens. I found that out myself soon enough."

Hagrid's beady eyes twinkled. "Harry knows it well enough too. Back in his fifth year, he was a bit of a club hopper. Don't really know what got into him, but he'd attend a different club each week and socialize with various people. It was really out of character for him, to be honest. He's a lot like you, reclusive and such. In any case, he went to the dueling club at least once a month, far more often than any other club. He was a bit of a celebrity there, and not just cause of his scar. He'd trounce any seventh year member there and over time spent more time teaching than he did learning. They all adored him there, specially the third-years. The club's only open to third-year's or higher."

"I know Hagrid. I had to approve the club for it to remain open, after all."

"Oh yeah, that's right. I remember Harry griping about that earlier that year. Quidditch teams were disbanded too, right?"

"Yes, every team, club and even study groups were all disbanded. Cornelius wanted them to remain mostly disbanded, but I generally reinstated things rather quickly. I didn't care for his interference here at Hogwarts."

"Yeah, well, Fudge was always a bungler. Makes a mess of everything and then owled Dumbledore everyday asking for advice. Glad they tossed him out last year."

"Indeed, the man was incompetent to an unacceptable degree. I'm not too certain how I feel about Scrimgeour, but he is certainly an improvement."

"Oh, by leagues. One day I figure Harry'll take the office and we'll be in fine hands then."

Emily snorted. "Oh please, Harry has no interest in working for the ministry. Perhaps he might get a job at the auror department, but he'll want to do something more exciting."

Hagrid stroked his beard in thought. "I don't really see Harry sitting at a desk, I suppose. I reckon he'll be the seeker for England's national team 'til he's tired of the sport and then he'll find something else to occupy his time."

"I'd like that for him. He loves quidditch." Emily looked wistful. She truly would love for Harry to find and do something he was passionate about.

It was at this statement that Hagrid launched into the story of Harry's first quidditch game. Emily had been present for it, on the back of Quirrell's head, after all, but Hagrid was so expressive in his description that Emily found herself enraptured either way. In the four hours it took for Harry to regain consciousness, Emily spent the time in Hagrid's hut. Hagrid loved to talk about things he was fond of. Emily loved to listen about Harry. Hagrid was quite fond of Harry and therefore, regaled Emily with stories of Harry's first few years at Hogwarts.

When she left that evening, wishing Hagrid a good night, she whispered to Harry, "I'm coming to find that I enjoy Hagrid's company, Harry."

Harry just stared at her in shock.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Harry and Emily arrived at their home in silence. Emily pleasant mood had all but vanished and was replaced by a dejected sense of failure.

"Those ignorant mongrels. Had they any sense, they'd have seen I was in full control of the fire. Its their penchant for divination, Harry, that gives them a sense of superiority. They consider themselves observers and not participants in the timeline. Such arrogance, as though time doesn't extort it toll on them just as the rest of us."

Harry listened to Emily's venting rant. This was par for the course when Emily was upset. Emily would always go on a spiel when someone screwed something up. Usually it was one of her followings flubbing some specific instruction they had been given. Long ago, she'd have resorted to the Cruciatus curse to mete out a punishment, but Harry had always lurked nearby these past couple of years, and she didn't want him to see her doing that often. So she would scream at her followers and throw things, looking all the image of a child throwing a temper tantrum. She was mortified by it, but her followers were possibly even more terrified by the explosive display of her emotion than her composed and cold torture spells.

Harry had still occasionally attempted to calm her temper. Though he rarely spent any significant time with her and her Death Eaters, there had been a stretch of about four weeks where they stayed near her support base. The Order had ramped up their attempts to recapture Harry, and Emily had tried to bait them away using her followers in disguise. Those missions all somehow ended in failure and the Order kept its focus on Britain. So she found herself yelling often. At least twice, she'd begin hexing someone and Harry would place a hand on her shoulder. Her anger would abate and she'd send whoever her victim was out the door.

Harry's affectionate nature was not something she was averse to enjoying, generally. But the vast majority of her Death Eaters were under the impression that Harry Potter was just another one of them. Albeit, one that she had personally and painstakingly, recruited. She was happy with this misconception. But rumors did pop up at his casual touches, and Emily did not like them. Fortunately, she didn't need to take action to squash them as Bellatrix had done so alone. Bellatrix, not willing to entertain a single notion that Emily would form a relationship with anyone other than herself, silenced any and all speculation on the relationship between the Dark Lord and the Boy-who-lived. Violently.

"Perhaps we got lucky and she fell into the fiendfyre."

Emily scoff at Harry's words. "You know better. Stop trying to be so positive."

"I just don't like seeing you upset, though I know you need to just... get it all out sometimes." Harry's hand began rubbing circles on her back, not light enough to tempt her, but not heavy enough to ease the tension in her body. It was nothing more than a gesture to let her know she wasn't alone. Which was stupid, she thought, she knew he was with her.

Making her way into their bedroom, she threw her body onto the bed, face down, and waited for him to join her. He didn't do so immediately, but Emily could be patient when it came to Harry. Soon enough she heard him enter and felt the bed dip as he joined her. She moved her head to look at him and was not surprised to find his face inches from her own. He moved his head to kiss her cheek, before dragging his lips to her mouth. Harry loved to do this to her, because he loved it when she did it to him.

Emily twisted her body, and Harry adjusted himself to be directly above her supporting himself with his knees and an arm. He did not ravish her, disappointingly, instead moving his head to the side putting his lips to her ear. "So what's our plan now?" He then gently pinched her earlobe between his teeth and Emily felt a thrill. She loved it when he was in a biting mood.

"Hmm, depends, tomorrow we'll have to come up with a different approach. Half of the pieces on the board today were incompetent, with only you, myself, Hagrid, and Voldemort doing anything resembling their proper job. Long term, our plans won't change. Kill Voldemort and have me become a hero to the populace of magical Britain."

Now nibbling at her neck, Harry asked, "Sounds fine, but I was more interested in our plans for tonight."

Emily suppressed a groan when he bit down hard on a point at the crook of her neck. Clearly he had plans of his own. "I was thinking we'd grab a bite to eat, but you seem to have gotten ahead of me on that one."

Harry rose slightly with a complex look on his face. "That's... actually a good idea, I'm starved." He made a motion to raise himself off the bed, but Emily had no intention of letting that happen. Using both of her legs, she kicked Harry's knees out from under him. Simultaneously, she gripped his shoulders and shoved his body down to where she could grind her crotch into his face.

"Finish what you started, you arse. Then food."

Food did not come quickly. Their evening had already taken place at a late hour, and Harry spent almost five hours on a bed in Hagrid's hut. It was well past midnight when they returned home, and Harry dosed after his activities with Emily. When he finally decided he could no longer ignore his stomach, he opened his eyes. Emily was not in the room, but this did not surprise him. While she often said she could spend hours looking at his face, he was certain that something else would be able to grab her attention after a while. Only so much enjoyment could be gleaned staring at a pretty face.

Making his way down the hallway, he paused near the loo. He heard voices. Slowly and quietly making his way to the dining area, where they were getting louder, he recognized them.

"I still don't see why Harry couldn't be here for this meeting." This was Sirius, he was certain.

"I told you already, he's resting. You'll have to just put up with me this morning, Sirius." Obviously Emily.

"You said his wound wasn't that bad, and you patched it up on site. Why is he still recuperating? What else happened to him last night?"

Harry heard his wife made a strangled noise of annoyance. "For the love of Merlin, Sirius. Just piss off on the subject of Harry for a moment and focus on what I'm trying to tell you three."

Harry stopped outside the room, content to listen to the interaction for a moment. Snape and Moody were probably also present.

"I will not. I demand to know what happened to Harry last night. I'm not blind, Emily. I see when things aren't normal with my godson. I see everything. I know about that scar on his neck, even though he won't say a word about how he got it. Why is he not-"

"FINE!" Emily's tone snapped into a higher octave and Harry could feel the exasperation. If there was one thing she hated thinking about, it was the thin scar on his neck that stretched from ear to ear. He could imagine her throwing her hands up in a surrender motion. Emily would forcibly move the conversation away from that, but Harry didn't know what she would say. "I fucked your godson into a coma last night, Sirius. I rocked his entire world and turned him into a quivering mess. And after I fucked him silly, I did it once again, just for good measure. Anything else you'd like to know about our sex life?" Apparently, this was how she planned on doing it.

Silence permeated the entire house, only broken after almost a minute later by the silky tones of Severus Snape. "That," he began with a pause, "was far more information than necessary."

"Don't see how he can get it up with a harpy like you, but..." The voice that trailed off was certainly Moody.

With a face redder than his best friend's hair, Harry entered the room. "I happen to find my wife extremely attractive, Moody. I find it amazing that anyone can disagree with that." Harry chewed through his mortification, stooping to kiss his wife's forehead at the table.

"Breakfast is in that muggle contraption over there. The one you use to heat things up." Emily made a sweeping gesture with her hand and Harry went to see what meal the Malfoy's house elf had prepared.

"It's a microwave, Emily. You should try it out, they are really useful."

"Why would I bother when there are things like warming charms, Harry."

He shrugged his shoulders, eyeing the the sausages hungrily on the plate. As he poured himself a cup of coffee and began to eat his food, he nodded a greeting to each of the men in the room. "Morning. You guys are here early."

"Its ten, Potter. Surely not an early hour for anyone other than an unemployed, under acheiving, inco-"

"Shut it, Snivellus."

"Both of you stop your bickering. Potter, either of you, give us an update already."

Emily took the initiative, Harry was still eating. "Last night we got a tip on Voldemort. She went to retrieve something in the Forbidden Forest to help Bellatrix Lestrange recuperate from her injuries. We cornered her in a field and were about to end her when an unexpected betrayal from our side allowed her to escape with what she needed."

"And why did you not contact us earlier with this information? We could have helped." Harry's godfather voiced the first reasonable complaint.

"Not a good time frame. We were told she was already there and didn't wish to waste time. Getting into contact with you Sirius is simple enough, but Alastor and Severus are more complicated."

"Surely you know where Snivellus lives, he was one of your followers."

Emily laughed wickedly. "I razed his home to the ground after his departure. It was a petty action, but it offered me the tiniest sliver of satisfaction."

Sirius cocked his head to the side. "Nonsense, we were just there not too long ago."

"I rebuilt the home and replaced the wards. I own the property and didn't see the point of relocating." Severus shrugged as though it was the most logical action.

"Well, while that's all well and good, lets get back to the Dark Lord. So she now has Bellatrix back at her side. That's definitely a problem."

"She's still in for a long recovery. Its a heart transplant. She won't be doing cardio anytime soon. Voldemort will lay low for a while, biding her time."

Moody nodded in understanding and relaxed in his chair to think. Snape leaned forward though. "Such, operations require very specific potions. Perhaps you can locate her by tracing the purchase of those potions or their ingredients."

"That time, unfortunately has already expired. She's had weeks to gather what she needs and could have procured them from anywhere in the country. I don't see her waiting until the eleventh hour to make those preparations."

"I agree, but on the off chance that it possibly happened, I will reach out to my contacts in the apothecary industry. Even if the chance is small, I intend to be thorough."

Emily shrugged, whatever the man did in his free time didn't concern her in the slightest. "Yes, well, I am afraid that's everything. I called this meeting to update you on the information we obtained as per our agreement. I expect you all to do the same."

Moody grumbled as he rose. Giving a nod to Sirius and Snape, he bid goodbye to Harry. "Heard what you did last night, Potter. Good work, even if foolish, though a part of me wishes you had missed. Hope you're feeling better."

Harry nodded politely, not sure why Moody would congratulate him for taking an arrow in the back. Snape left moments later without bothering to excuse himself, leaving Sirius alone with the couple.

"Sorry for pushing you earlier, Emily. When it comes to Harry, I can be a bit bull headed."

Emily smirked. "I have absolutely no problem broadcasting what Harry and I do in the bedroom. He's the one who gets embarrassed by it." Giving a playful nudge to Harry with her elbow made him snort. All three of them knew that Sirius was really apologizing for mentioning Harry's scar. It was a taboo topic and had never been spoken of with anyone other than the couple themselves. Emily simply wished to push that day as far away from her memory as possible.

"Well at least you're letting me eat now. Good to know I did my job well enough last night."

Despite Emily's previous words the two men did see her face redden at Harry's comment. "Of course Harry does it properly. With James for a father and myself as his godfather, there are some things he can't fail. I'm still quite the lady killer, you know."

"Yes, well, I'm certain Grimauld Place is filled with their corpses. That's the only way a woman would find herself in your home in any capacity."

"Harry, your wife is being mean to me." Sirius whined as though he were a tattling child.

"Emily stop being mean to my godfather. Sirius, stop telling tall tales." Harry who was polishing off his breakfast kept his comment simple before cleaning his plate and placing it back in the cabinet.

"Hmph, if he doesn't want to hear me, he doesn't have to be in _my_ house. I don't go to his home and gripe."

"Yeah, well, you're not ever invited into my home. You just show up when you're least wanted."

"At least I'm actually wanted every now and then." Emily countered quickly. "You're just a hanger on, explains your animagus form. Just a stray mongr- what the fuck did you just do to me?" While Emily had been speaking, Sirius had quietly and stealthily changed her face orange, with her hair slowly turning green from the roots outward. Though she didn't see the magic, she could certainly feel it, even more so when the spell was on herself.

Harry who saw the results of the spell couldn't help but laugh. Walking over to her and running his hands through her now green locks, he said, "Don't worry, _pumpkin, _its nothing permanent."

Sirius literally fell out of his chair at Harry's term of endearment, rolling about and roaring with laughter as he croaked out the word 'pumpkin' at random intervals. Emily, who was now annoyed, conjured a mirror and took a look at her appearance. Standing up, she quickly reversed the spell. Taking a look at the two men, she snidely said, "The both of you are insufferably childish." She left the room without even a glance back.

Once he found himself under control Sirius retook his seat. "She'd have reacted the same way I did, had I been in her place."

"One hundred percent, definitely." The two men shared another chuckle before Sirius' face lost its smile.

"Are you okay, Harry? Emily told us you'd been hit with an arrow, last night."

"Er, yeah, good as new. Though it certainly hurt like hell."

Sirius grinned at him. "You should pursue a career in quidditch. There is no seeker on the entire earth who can pinpoint a centaur's arrow with his eyes and intercept it with a shoddily charmed tree root. You'd take the entire international league by storm."

Harry only shrugged. Sirius had been right and wrong in his description of the events. Harry certainly did _see _the arrow with his _eye_, but such a sight had not applied itself to anything that did not apply to Emily yet. The inner eye that Grindlewald had given Harry seemed to be latched onto only his wife's future. Of course, Harry was in no way disappointed by this, he was actually perfectly satisfied with it. The only reason he wanted the sight was so he could protect his wife better and Grindlewald's gift had already shown its worth.

"Perhaps. Emily wants me to pursue quidditch as a career. I'm not too sure what I want to do, though."

Sirius crooked his head in confusion. "Harry, we're talking about professional Quidditch here. Most people would give a limb for the chance. I know you're not a big fan of the fame, but I also know you love the sport. I bought you a firebolt because I saw how much you loved the game, not to mention how incredible you are at flying."

Harry nodded. "But I feel like, I can't just go off and play Quidditch for England, Sirius. I have to keep an eye on Emily and make certain she's not doing something she shouldn't."

"You're not her keeper, Harry. You don't need to be around her all the time."

"But aren't I? I fell in love with Emily entirely on the premise that I'd be exactly that, her keeper. Her minder, in some sense, even her jailer. Its my job to restrict her when she goes too far. I'm the only one capable of doing that."

"Yes, and when you married her, you ensured that you'd always have that ability Harry. That doesn't mean you need to stay in her purse whenever she leaves the house."

"You're right, but what if I'm not around when she does lose control, Sirius. You remember Egypt, don't you?"

Sirius sighed, thinking for a moment. He wasn't content to let the conversation end at Harry's conclusion. "Things are different, Harry. Two years ago, when you started your relationship with your wife, I could understand your plan to stay near her. She was a loose cannon with a penchant for torture and murder."

"Exactly, Sirius, she nee-"

"But that was two years ago. Its clear as day to anyone who sees the two of you that she's not that person anymore. Do you think that Voldemort would have stormed out of the room in a huff had I turned her face orange and her hair green? You loving her, Harry, has given her insanity a balance. And I am still certain she is completely insane, mind you. But with you she acts normal, and what is more important is that she _enjoys_ being normal with you."

"Doesn't change the fact that its only with me, that she's going to be like that."

"But you never see her without you, Harry. She and I don't exactly spend a lot of time together, but I have interacted with her when you are not present Harry. She doesn't just suddenly revert to a psychopath when you're not watching over her shoulder. She's certainly less pleasant when you're not around, but she's still restrained."

Sirius put a hand on Harry's shoulder and Harry listened closely to his words. "What I am saying Harry, is that you need to give your wife a measure of trust. Moody and Snape would have my head if they knew I was telling you this, but trust that the Emily you know is the Emily she will be when you aren't around. I want you to be happy, Harry. I know you are happy with Emily, apparently very happy if what she said about your nighttime activities is and remains true, but your life doesn't need to begin and end with her."

Harry mulled over his godfather's words. He knew the man was right, to an extent. Emily was far more stable than she had ever been in the past. But Quidditch required athletes to spend weeks away from home. Though it was possible that Harry could get a special dispensation, to dodge some requirements. He'd have to think on it more. There was no rush to make a decision on the course of his life now, he had time.

"I'll keep that in mind, Sirius. Thanks."

"I just want you to know you have options. You wanna be a househusband then go for it. But you don't have to be." With that last sentence, Sirius bid Harry farewell. Harry remained where he was seated until Emily returned to the room, clearly perturbed that he had not gone to find her after his godfather had left.

"Now that you're awake Harry, we need to chat."

Harry's eyes widened slightly and he felt his blood chill. This was potentially dangerous ground. "Sure, love. What's on your mind?"

"You of course, you're always on my mind. So much that its incredible I don't get tired of it. But to be more specific, I am a bit curious about your actions last night. How is it that you knew that the entire field had been spelled? Not even I was aware... and you know how sensitive I am to magic."

Harry was completely stumped. How was he going to pull this particular rabbit out of the metaphorical hat? He couldn't just tell his wife that he had been hit with the vision of her body being bound in tree roots moments before it happened without him giving away his deal with Grindlewald. Not that he knew what the deal entailed. Harry knew that Grindlewald used his elder wand for something other than giving Harry the inner eye. A man as cunning as Grindlewald who had unsupervised access to a magical artifact with immense power like the elder wand had surely done something with it to benefit himself. But Harry didn't wish to bring that up with Emily, she was still upset with him about Grindlewald's escape from his prison.

"What are the odds of me being able to convince you it was nothing more than a brilliant moment of insight?"

Emily pursed her lips, staring at him. "Considering our agreement to not withhold secrets from one another, I'd like to say zero. But you and I both know I still clutch certain secrets to my chest, despite what I say. Is this secret that important for you to keep hidden, even from me?"

Harry paused. Other than him potentially getting yelled at for allowing Grindlewald access to the elder wand, he had no real reason not to tell Emily. Harry steepled his fingers and looked at Emily. How would she take the revelation that Harry had made such a trade? With a sigh, Harry decided that he would abide by their agreement.

"I had a premonition. A clairvoyant one."

Emily paused at this, not at what he was telling her, but at the word clairvoyant. She honestly didn't realize Harry had paid enough attention in Divination class to even know that word. Shrugging it off, she asked, "And for how long have you had this proficiency in Divination? Because I swear to God, Harry, if you've been holding out on me, you'll sleep on the couch for the next decade."

"Don't you think if I had any talent for Divination, you'd have known about it long ago?"

"The inner eye, Harry, is something you are born with. It all depends on when it is opened. You've always had it, I just want to know when you realized it."

Harry knew that this was his out. He could roll with the fib permanently here, and Emily didn't have to be any the wiser. He didn't. "I don't have the inner eye, Emily. Grindlewald gave it to me."

Emily shook her head. "Clairvoyance isn't something people can hand out. Harry. It's not a piece of candy or a biscuit. Its also not something that someone else can awaken for you, especially at your age. You should've know the truth before you're seventeenth birthday. It should have appeared to you before the age of your majority."

Harry just raised his hands up, "Look, Emily, the first time I ever _saw_ was when I looked at you the first time I left Grindlewald's tower. That was the very first time my inner eye made an appearance."

Emily grumbled to herself. Clearly she believed Harry, but this information clashed with everything she knew about Seers. Which was more than most, considering her research into prophecies. "I don't understand. Explain the process to me."

Harry winced. It was time to come fully clean, he knew. "I'm not sure, I passed out when he started. He used the elder wand."

Hearing Emily let out a loud bark of laughter, Harry hung his head. "Of course you let him use the elder wand. Harry, do you listen to any of the words that leave my mouth, or is my face too pretty for you to focus?" Harry braced himself for a lecture, but it never came.

"The elder wand can't make the impossible, possible. As powerful as it is, it can't break the laws of magic, just push their boundaries." Emily sat down and pressed her hands to her temple as she brainstormed. After a few minutes she gave a huff.

"The only logical conclusion I can draw is that you never had the inner eye. Instead, Grindlewald transferred his eye to you. Which it possible. At his point in life, he doesn't require it, and to trade it for the use of the elder wand, I suppose its an acceptable bargain. Its a shame that we have no idea what else he used the wand for. He could potentially be an enemy of ours in the future."

Harry doubted that. "Its like you said, at his age, what's the point of that. I agree he used the wand for something, but I don't see us ever having to deal with him as an enemy."

Emily laughed at him with a small amount of scorn. "Harry, you don't have some special ability to turn all dark wizards into fluffy little bunny rabbits. Don't mark him off as a potential enemy until he dies. He is too great of a power to just ignore."

Harry shrugged his shoulders. "I just don't think he has the energy to fight anymore, Emily. He's tired, tired of war and fighting. I really believe he just wants to spend the rest of his life quietly."

"Well, in either case, there is nothing we can do about it. Though I didn't tell you, I've already spoken with the man. I've also got someone keeping tabs on him everyday. Nothing has come back to me yet in regards to him acting suspiciously. For now, we can continue to ignore him."

"I'm surprised you didn't kill him, to be honest. Its not like you to leave a potential threat to you alive."

Giving Harry a pointed look, "I made the mistake once seventeen years ago and decided I liked it." She made no attempt to give him a real explanation and Harry, not willing to provoke his wife on the topic of murder, didn't press her for more. He was rather proud that her first instinct was to now shy away from the act.

As though summoned by the topic, a sharp crack announced the arrival of a house elf. "Madam Potter, Mister Grindlewald is being strange."

Harry, who had only just learned of the tabs being kept on the man snorted out a laugh. Emily, failed to see the humor and just groaned in annoyance. "I really, really wanted to never think about that man ever again! Well, elf? Report!"

At her sharp words, the tiny house elf gave a sharp jerk standing ramrod straight. "Mr. Grindlewald has left his home and relocated to a new city, ma'am. He just packed up all of his things and left. He invited Purella to come along, but P-"

"Who on earth is Purella and why were they graced with such a stupid name?" Emily cut off the elf loudly and the creature squeaked.

"I.. I is Purella, ma'am."

"Oh, well... carry on then." Emily waved the elf on, as though she hadn't just insulted the elf.

With a trembling lip, the elf continued, "I can't be too far away from the Malfoy family, ma'am. Mr. Grindlewald sir, knows this, but left anyway."

"Then just check up on him once a day. You don't need to live with the man."

The elf's whole body trembled now. "But, your orders, ma'am, were to stay with Mr. Grindlewald and see to his care. And Purella was told by mistress Malfoy to obey your commands as though they were her own."

* * *

Emily sighed. "This, Harry, is the source of my disdain for house elves. They can't do a single thing on their own. They can't make a single decision without checking in with someone else first. Now my the rest of my day will probably be spoiled." Emily got up and went to grab her coat, only to turn around and see that Harry remained sitting down.

"Are you not coming with me? I have to see what that old tosser is planning."

Harry was running his left hand along the edge of the table, while his right hand was fisted and supporting his head on his jawline. His thumb was gently running back and forth on the thin scar that Sirius had brought up and Emily knew his was thinking heavily on a subject she couldn't make a guess at. He never touched that place unless he was terribly distracted by something. She wondered if he'd overheard his godfather speaking about it.

"No, I'm certain you can handle things." Harry looked at her, and Emily felt as though his eyes were piercing into her very soul. "Its not as though he is a threat to you... and I trust you. I know you won't do anything too bad."

Emily looked at him shrewdly, knowing that something was being left unsaid, but she, once again, didn't have the slightest idea on what it was. Nodding slowly, she said, "Right then. I'll be back shortly." She was certain he could feel the apprehension in her words, but he offered her nothing more than a parting smile and a wish for luck.

With a motion of her hand, the house elf followed her towards her study. "Where is he now?"

"He is in Strausbourg, miss."

Emily stopped so suddenly the elf ran into her. This made the elf squeak in fear, but Emily didn't care at all about that. There were many cities named Strausbourg in the world, but for magical folk, only one held any real importance. She moved to her destination more quickly, not even noticing that the elf did not follow further.

Arriving into her office, she picked up a random knickknack and charmed it as a portkey. This act was technically unlawful, but her destination would make it hard for anyone to track the culprit. With a tug on her navel, her surroundings vanished and she reappeared in a crowded muggle street.

Emily began moving, the tracking spell she'd placed surreptitiously on Grindlewald during their final meeting proving its use far sooner than she had actually planned. As she waded through the muggles, she couldn't help but wonder why the man had come here. It was crowded, and it was filled with the one type of people most would assume he loathed. Even on the days where her patience seemed limitless, she detested the city, which spoke volumes considering the significant length of time she had spent here in her youth.

Jinxing the occasional muggle that trod on her feet, she finally veered off of the crowded street to a more residential area. Now that she wasn't in the midst of a crowd, she felt as though she was no longer suffocating. Apparition was easier, you could choose where you wished to land. Portkeys, however, relied on a network, with set landing points. Had Emily wanted to waste the time, she could have forced a different drop off, but she didn't bother with the nuisance.

Eventually she came to a simple home, in an even more simple neighborhood. There were houses to the left and right of where she was and she could see young children chasing each other about.

"Not exactly the place I thought I'd find a magical supremacist. Not that I can say much, Harry and I live in a muggle neighborhood as well."

Though Emily hadn't even spoken a single word to any of their neighbors, she knew that Harry got on fairly well with a few of them. He never invited one over, or at least he never did when she was home, and she was happier for it. Harry didn't even know that she was aware of his newfound muggle friends, but she did have him trailed a few days a month, so she received reports on his going ons and such. She wasn't paranoid, mind you, she just wanted to make certain he was safe.

Standing at the doorstep Emily pondered on whether or not she should be polite and knock. Recalling that Harry did expect her to be on, not her best, but decent behavior, she rapped sharply on the door three times. To understate the truth of the event that followed, Emily found herself unprepared.

"GOD DAMNIT!" In a flurry of movement, Emily leaped away from the open door, pulling her wand from her robes. Her entire body trembled and she could barely aim the length of yew between the electric blue eyes that stared at her.

"Now, now, Mrs. Potter, do mind your volume. Come inside."

Standing at the doorway was none other than Albus Dumbledore.


End file.
